VRanger 7.3 UserGuide

Dell vRanger 7.
3
Users Guide
2016 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. Dell, the Dell logo, NetVault,
PowerEdge, and vRanger are trademarks of Dell Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Linux is a registered
trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries, or both. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group
in the United States and other countries. PowerCLI, vApp(s), vCenter, vCenter Server, vCloud Director, vSphere, vMotion,
VMware, ESX, and ESXi are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions.
Active Directory, Hyper-V, PowerShell, SharePoint, SQL Server, Windows, and Windows Server are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Data Domain and DD Boost are trademarks or registered
trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be
trademarks of their respective companies.
Legend
CAUTION: A CAUTION icon indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if instructions are not followed.
WARNING: A WARNING icon indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
IMPORTANT NOTE, NOTE, TIP, MOBILE, or VIDEO: An information icon indicates supporting information.
vRanger Users Guide
Updated - January 2016
Software Version - 7.3
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Dell vRanger: at a glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Key benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Major feature list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Target audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Recommended additional reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
vRanger overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Virtualization overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
vRanger overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Installation overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Before installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Downloading an evaluation copy of vRanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Installing vRanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Configuration overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Adding inventory for protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Adding repositories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Deploying virtual appliances (VAs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Adding physical servers to inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Scheduling a backup job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Scheduling a replication job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Configuring vRanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Configuration overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Configuring vRanger through the Startup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Opening the Startup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Adding and selecting a license . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Adding vCenter and host information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Adding Hyper-V System Center VMM, cluster, and host information . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Selecting hosts for licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Adding a physical machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Selecting physical machines for licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Deploying and configuring the VA from the Startup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Adding a repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Setting up the SMTP server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Adding an email address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Configuring vRanger manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding a vCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding a vCloud Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding an ESXi server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding a Hyper-V System Center VMM, cluster, or host .
Adding a physical server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding a repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Managing repository replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Dell vRanger 7.3 Users Guide

Contents
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Configuring an SMTP server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Configuring display language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Configuring a virtual appliance (VA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Importing a license file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Managing VM host licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Managing physical machine licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Managing job configuration settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Enabling cataloging options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Managing Transport Failover options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Configuring the number of times a backup process tries to run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Supplemental instructions: additional repository types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Adding an NFS repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Adding an FTP repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Adding an SFTP repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Adding a NetVault SmartDisk repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Adding an EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Adding a Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Understanding the vRanger virtual appliance (VA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
The VA scratch disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Deploying the VA by using the Virtual Appliance Deployment Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . .59
About deploying multiple VAs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Changing the VA configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Configuring VA networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Disabling Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) for the vRanger VA . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Using vRanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
vRanger user interface (UI) overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Main toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
My Inventory view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
My Inventory pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Working Inventory pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
My Jobs view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
My Jobs pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Activity pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
My Repositories view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
My Repositories pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Working Repository pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
My Reports view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
My Reports toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
My Reports pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Working Reports pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Backup overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Virtual machine (VM) backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Physical machine backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Reviewing backup transport options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Contents
VMware backup transport options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

Transport selection order: VM backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Hyper-V backup transport options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Physical backup transport options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Determining application consistency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Application consistency for virtual backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Application consistency for physical backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Understanding retention policies and space-saving technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Performing optional configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Enabling or disabling VMware Changed Block Tracking (CBT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Adding a custom backup group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Configuring VSS tools for VMware VMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Configuring a backup job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Selecting an inventory node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Excluding VMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Including hard disks of physical machines or VMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Selecting a repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Selecting a backup data transport method for VMware machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Configuring backup options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Selecting a Retention Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Setting the recurrence schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Configuring email notifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Starting the backup job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
The vRanger restore process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Full restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Restoring a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Restoring from a manifest file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Performing a full restore for VMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Starting the Restore Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Selecting a savepoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Selecting a destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Selecting a network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Selecting a restore data transport method for VMware machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Configuring restore options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Starting the restore job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Performing a full restore for VMware vApps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Starting the Restore Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Selecting a destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Mapping storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Selecting a restore data transport method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Configuring restore options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Contents
Performing a full restore of a physical machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Creating the boot media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Booting the target server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Selecting a savepoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Naming the job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Mapping disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Performing an FLR on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Performing an FLR using Catalog Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Performing a manual FLR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Performing an FLR on Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Linux FLR limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Restoring from manifest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Performing a full restore from manifest for VMs . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Performing a full restore from manifest for a physical machine . . .
Performing FLR from manifest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Replicate VMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

Understanding replication of VMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
How replication works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Replication modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Replication with Changed Block Tracking (CBT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Differential replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Configuring transport failover options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Pre-seeding replication jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Creating a replication job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Selecting the source VM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Selecting a target host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Selecting the replication mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Selecting replication network mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Selecting hard disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Selecting replication options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Starting the replication job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Using replication failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Performing Test Failover with networking disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Performing Test Failover with networking enabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Performing a failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Performing failback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
About vRanger reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Generating a report using the Report Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Integrating and monitoring vRanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
Contents
Integrating vRanger: overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Performing vRanger sweep-to-tape using Dell NetVault Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Using deduplication with Dell NetVault SmartDisk and vRanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Using Data Domain and vRanger repositories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Monitoring vRanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
About event monitoring configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Using the vRanger Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
vRanger Console overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Configuring the vRanger Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
vRanger vAPI Cmdlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Inventory management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Job management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Repositories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Cmdlet help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
vAPI Cmdlet details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Add-BackupGroupEntity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Add-BackupJobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Add-CIFSRepository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Add-DdbReplicationRepository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Add-DdbRepository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Add-EsxHost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Add-FTPRepository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Add-HypervCluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Add-HypervHost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Add-HypervRestoreJobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Add-NFSRepository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Add-NVSDRepository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Add-PhysicalMachine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Add-RdaRepository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Add-ReplicationJobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Add-RestoreFromManifestJobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Add-RestoreJobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Add-SFTPRepository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Add-VirtualAppforLinuxFLR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Add-VirtualAppforLinuxFLRVA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Add-VirtualCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Disable-Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Dismount-LinuxVolume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Enable-Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Get-AddressBook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Contents
Get-BackupGroupEntity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Get-CatalogSearchData . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Get-CatalogStatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Get-ConfigOption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Get-Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Get-CurrentTemplateVersionID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Get-Datastore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Get-GlobalTransportFailover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Get-InventoryEntities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Get-IsInventoryRefreshing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Get-Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Get-JobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Get-MonitorLog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Get-Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Get-PhysicalMachineDiskMap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Get-Repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Get-RepositoryJob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Get-RepositorySavePoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Get-RestoreDiskMap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Get-SavepointDisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Get-SavepointManifest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Get-Savepoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Get-TransportFailover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Get-VirtualApplianceConfig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Get-VirtualApplianceDeploymentStatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Get-VirtualApplianceReconfigStatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Get-VirtualMachinesUnderInventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Get-VmDisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Get-VMDKVolume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Install-VirtualAppliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Mount-LinuxVolume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
New-BackupFlag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
New-BackupGroupMember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
New-Daily Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
New-EmailAddress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
New-IntervalSchedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
New-MonthlySchedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
New-ReplicationFlag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
New-RestoreFlag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
New-SMTPServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
New-TransportConfiguration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
New-VirtualAppliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
New-WeeklySchedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
New-YearlySchedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Remove-AllMount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Contents
Remove-BackupGroupEntity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Remove-BackupGroupMember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Remove-Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Remove-DdbStorageUnit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Remove-JobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Remove-LinuxVolume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Remove-Repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Remove-SavePoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Remove-VirtualAppliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Remove-VirtualApplianceConfiguration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Run-JobsNow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Run-ReplicationFailover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Run-ResumeReplicationFailover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Run-TestReplicationFailover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Set-Cataloging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Set-CBTonVM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Set-LinuxVolume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Set-MountPath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Set-Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Stop-vRangerJob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Update-BackupJobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Update-GlobalTransportFailover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Update-HypervRestoreJobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Update-Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Update-ReplicationJobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Update-RestoreJobTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Update-VirtualAppliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Update-VirtualApplianceConfiguration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
About Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Technical support resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Contents
1
Introduction
Dell vRanger: at a glance
Key benefits
Major feature list
Target audience
Recommended additional reading
Dell vRanger: at a glance

vRanger provides a simple, fast, and scalable data- protection solution that deploys seamlessly into virtual
environments. vRanger provides high-speed backup and recovery of VMware, Hyper-V, and physical Windows
Server environments. It also provides high-speed replication for VMware. It protects entire virtual
environments in minutes, detecting and backing up new virtual machines (VMs) automatically, and delivers safe,
scalable data protection to even the largest VMware and Hyper-V environments. With vRanger, you can locate
and restore individual files in seconds even if they are buried in virtual and physical backups from a single,
intuitive interface.
vRanger supports enterprise deduplication and delivers disk-to-disk backup with the Dell DR appliances, EMC
Data Domain , and Dell NetVault SmartDisk to reduce backup storage costs and improve backup time with
client-side deduplication.
vRanger scales with your virtual environment by maximizing resources through distributed processing, while
simplifying management with central command and control.
vRanger capabilities include:
Protect entire VMware and Hyper-V environments in minutes.
Deliver high-speed, storage-thrifty backup and restore for VMware, Hyper-V, and physical Windows
servers.
Quickly locate and restore individual files from virtual and physical backups.
Replicate key VMs for offsite disaster recovery preparedness.
Deploy scalable data protection for even the largest virtual infrastructures.
Key benefits
vRanger benefits include:
Exploits VMware vSphere performance and scalability enhancements.
Provides high-speed, resource-efficient backup, replication, and recovery of VMware and Hyper-V VM
images.

Introduction
10
Delivers maximum storage savings when paired with the Dell DR Series appliance, EMC Data Domain,
or NetVault SmartDisk.
Supports EMC Data Domain Boost and Dell DR RDA for optimized deduplication and replication.
Operates as an easy-to-deploy, low-resource consumption virtual appliance (VA) for low-impact

scalability.
Improves VM backup and recovery performance with HotAdd support.
Optimizes use of critical resources in virtual environments, including hypervisor hosts, networks, and
storage.
Includes a catalog for fast file searching and file-level restore.
Provides protection for the largest VM deployments.
Offers agent-less, maintenance-free deployment.
Delivers proven reliability.
Provides unmatched performance and scalability.
Comes with world-class service and support.
Major feature list

vRanger backs up and recovers physical environments with blazing speed, a minimum of backup storage, and
can restore Windows servers and even individual files and folders. With vRanger, you get comprehensive
protection for both your virtual and physical environments that you can manage from one simple interface.
VMware Ready Certified for vSphere 6: Ensures reliable, safe, and scalable operation with vSphere
6.
VMware ESXi support: Provides a wide range of backup and recovery and disaster recovery (DR)
capabilities for VMware virtual infrastructures.
Microsoft Hyper-V support: Supports the latest Hyper-V versions.
Virtual appliance (VA) architecture: Through centralized and wizard-driven deployment and
administration from the vRanger server, delivers scalable and cost-effective distributed data handling
and throughput through VAs.
Disk-to-disk backup and deduplication: Supports Dell DR Series system Rapid Data Access (RDA) for
optimized client-side deduplication and replication.
EMC Data Domain (DD Boost) support: Supports distributed deduplication with EMC Data Domain
appliances using the DD Boost API.
Disk-to-disk backup and deduplication: Offers a Dell NetVault SmartDisk - vRanger Edition add on for
enterprise-class deduplication that reduces backup storage footprints by up to 90 percent.
VMware HotAdd support: Performs LAN-free backups with vRanger installed inside a VM and from the
vRanger VA. Additionally, HotAdd accelerates network backups of ESXi.
Patented Active Block Mapping (ABM): Eliminates inactive and white space blocks from protected
Windows VMs to speed backup, replication, and recovery jobs as well as reduce network and storage
requirements.
Change block tracking (CBT): Eliminates the time required to scan for changed blocks in guest images
on vSphere hypervisor systems to improve the speed of backup and replication jobs.
Instant file-level restore (FLR) for Windows and Linux: Lets you restore a single file from a backup
image in the repository through a one-step process.

Introduction
11
Patented native, full catalog capability: Provides a native, full catalog of every image in the backup
repository, enabling immediate identification of available recovery positions, with one-click restore.
Wildcard scanning feature locates backup repository files to be restored.
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256: Secures protected images block-by-block on the VMware
host as they are read so they are also secure over the network and in the backup repository.
Full, incremental, and differential backup: Enables a complete backup cycle for protected images that
is optimized for speed and resource efficiency.
Full, incremental, and hybrid replication: Provides the full range of options required to replicate
VMware VMs over LANs and WANs efficiently.
Replication: Offers on- and off-site options for flexible, reliable disaster recovery.
Physical Windows Server support: Supports backup and recovery of Windows physical servers, files,
and folders.
Synthetic recovery: Delivers single-pass restore, reading each required block only one time from
multiple full, incremental, and differential backup images in the repository for the fastest, most
efficient results.
VMware vSphere vMotion and Storage vMotion support: vSphere vMotion support ensures vRanger
automatically protects VMware VMs as they move from one host to another, even when backup jobs are
running. It also ensures vRanger follows VM storage disks when they are relocated to different data
stores; locks VM storage disks when vRanger accesses the disks during a job.
Agent-less job execution, patent-pending: Uses binary injection at run time on VMware ESXi hosts;
eliminates burdens of license tracking and maintenance upgrades.
Advanced savepoint management: Lets you manage and use multiple point-in-time copies of backup
and replica images for precise image, file, and object restores.
Dynamic resource management: Optimizes real-time use of critical resources; ensures efficiency and
that jobs complete faster without exceeding resource capacity.
Job multi-streaming: Lets you run multiple backup, restore, and replication jobs simultaneously for
dramatic improvement in performance times.
Direct-to-target (D2T) architecture: Distributes job execution and movement of data with optimal
efficiency to improve data protection and ensure seamless scalability.
Inline data validation: Tests integrity of captured data on the source block-by- block as it is read;
ensures image recovery from the backup repository and replica-image usability.
Remote management: Lets you manage data protection jobs through a central console over LAN and
WAN connections for control of all systems and sites in an environment.
PowerShell access: Automate scripts for protection jobs, reducing administrative burdens and human
error.
Target audience
This guide is intended for backup administrators and other technical personnel who are responsible for
designing and implementing a backup strategy for the organization. A good understanding of the operating
system (OS) on which vRanger is running is assumed.

Introduction
12
Recommended additional reading

The following documentation is also available:
Dell vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide: This guide details the system requirements for installing and
operating vRanger, and describes how to install and upgrade the vRanger application and components.
Dell vRanger Integration Guide for EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost): This guide describes how to
configure vRanger to work with a Data Domain Boost repository to achieve source-side deduplication of
backup data.
Dell vRanger Integration Guide for Dell DR Series Disk Backup Appliance: This guide describes how to
configure vRanger to work with a Dell DR series appliance to achieve deduplication of backup data.
Dell vRanger Integration Guide for Dell NetVault SmartDisk - vRanger Edition: This guide describes how
to configure vRanger to work with a NetVault SmartDisk - vRanger Edition repository to achieve
deduplication of backup data.
Total Virtual Data Protection - Protecting virtualized applications with Dell vRanger and Dell Recovery
Manager: This guide describes how vRanger can work with Dell Recovery Manager products to protect key
services such as Active Directory, Exchange, and SharePoint.

Introduction
13
2
vRanger overview
Virtualization overview
vRanger overview
Installation overview
Configuration overview
Virtualization overview
As companies grow, their technology needs change. These changes are often implemented within complex
systems running business-critical applications. Usually there is an increased demand for hardware and software
resources. To manage this demand, many companies establish virtual environments. Doing so can increase your
organizations agility and efficiency while lowering its costs.
Most companies have several specialized physical servers and workstations that are under used. Virtualizing
such an environment increases and balances usage by consolidating the physical machines into a single physical
host that runs multiple virtual machines (VMs).
vRanger overview
vRanger provides backup, recovery, and backup management for virtual and physical environments. Featuring a
new platform technology, vRanger reduces the backup window, provides smarter backup options, and offers
more scalability features while using fewer resources.
vRanger capabilities include:
Protect entire VMware and Hyper-V environments in minutes: Deploy vRangers simple installation
wizard and auto-discovery tool to locate both VMware and Hyper-V assets, and safeguard entire virtual
environments in minutes. Leverage vRangers agentless architecture to reduce time spent managing
virtual backup, restore and recovery operations, and to detect and back up new VMs automatically for
complete protection.
Deliver high-speed, storage-thrifty backup and restore for VMware, Hyper-V, and physical Windows
servers: Employ the fastest I/O path available to back up and restore VMware, Hyper-V, and physical
Windows servers quickly, with minimal disruption to production systems. vRangers patented Active Block
Mapping feature reduces data streams, network utilization and backup storage requirements. Leverage
client-side and target-side deduplication options with the support for the Dell DR disk-based backup
appliance and EMC Data Domain integration to dramatically shrink backup storage costs.
Quickly locate and restore individual files from virtual and physical backups: Locate and restore
specific versions of VMs, files, and folders in minutes. Use vRangers integrated catalog and wildcard
search features to find individual files quickly, whether they are located within VMware, Hyper-V, or
physical Windows Server backups. Manage virtual and physical servers from a single, easy-to-use user
interface (UI), minimizing the effort, complexity and cost of backing up your data.
Replicate key VMs for offsite disaster recovery preparedness: Replicate VMware virtual machines both
on-site and at remote locations for flexible and efficient disaster recovery preparedness. Combine
backup and replication jobs to ensure that you meet your organizations recovery time and recovery
vRanger overview
14
point objectives. Perform fast VM failover and recovery at all your sites, no matter where they are
located.
Deploy scalable data protection for even the largest virtual infrastructures: Leverage parallel job
execution capabilities to complete backup and recovery operations faster, and use resource governing to
ensure optimal production application performance. Deploy the vRanger virtual appliance (VA) to
distribute VMware workloads for better scalability. Use vRangers LAN-free mode to move backup and
restore operations off local-area networks (LANs) for improved virtualized application performance.
Use Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256: vRanger uses AES-256 encryption to encrypt backup
archives and replication traffic. In vRanger, AES is a symmetric key algorithm that uses a 256-bit
encryption key. This combination is approved for the encryption of secure government data, and
complies with the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS).
vRanger requires credentials for several connection types; namely local machine credentials, vCenter
and host credentials, and credentials for the vRanger database. These credentials are encrypted using
AES-256 encryption before they are written to the vRanger database or Windows registry.
Encryption for vRanger backups is configured at the repository level, meaning that rather than selecting
encryption for each job or task, you configure that job to write to an encrypted repository. For each
backup task, vRanger read the encryption status of the target repository. If encryption is selected, the
data blocks are read and encrypted before they are sent to the repository.
During replication tasks, vRanger sends data over a secure shell (SSH) tunnel encrypted with AES-256
encryption.
Installation overview
The installation of vRanger is a simple process requiring no additional components or configuration. vRanger can
be installed on either a physical or VM meeting the requirements specified in the Dell vRanger
Installation/Upgrade Guide.
Before installing
Downloading an evaluation copy of vRanger
Installing vRanger
Before installing
vRanger can be installed in various configurations depending on your environment. Some common configuration
options include:
Database installation
Backup architecture:
VA-based HotAdd
Machine-based HotAdd
VA-based LAN
Machine-based LAN
Machine-based SAN
Virtual appliance (VA) deployment
Before installing vRanger, review each of your architectural options, and decide on the best fit for your
environment.
For more information, see the Dell vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.

vRanger overview
15
Downloading an evaluation copy of vRanger

Evaluation versions of Dell products, including vRanger, are freely available from the Dell website. Evaluation
versions are full applications limited only by licensing.
To download an evaluation copy of vRanger:

1
From an internet-connected PC, access http://software.dell.com/products/vranger/.
Click Download Free Trial.
Register or log in as appropriate.
Accept the License Agreement, and click Submit.
Select vRanger, and save the file to the desired location.
Installing vRanger
The installation of vRanger has several options. Unless you have a valid reason not to, Dell recommends that you
accept the defaults wherever possible. Complete the steps in the following procedure to install vRanger.
To install vRanger:
1
Start the installer, and accept the vRanger license.

The install process does not continue until the license is accepted.
Choose an installation directory.
Enter the credentials under which the vRanger services should run.
The credentials used need to have local administrator privileges on the vRanger machine.
Select the vRanger database.

You may choose to install vRanger with a new instance of SQL Server Express or on an existing SQL
Server. You also need to configure DB credentials now.
The installation completes.
For more information, see the Dell vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.
vRanger requires some basic configuration before data protection can begin. The bulk of this configuration is
driven by the Startup Wizard which starts the first time the application is opened. For more information, see
Configuring vRanger.
The following sections describe the primary configurations you need to make.
Adding inventory for protection
Adding repositories
Deploying virtual appliances (VAs)
Adding physical servers to inventory
Scheduling a backup job
Scheduling a replication job

vRanger overview
16
Adding inventory for protection

Before you can begin backups, you must add at least one of the following to the vRanger inventory:
One or more VMware vCenter Servers.
One or more Hyper-V clusters.
One or more VMware vCloud Director servers.
One or more physical servers.
Individual Hyper-V or VMware ESXi hosts not associated with a cluster or vCenter.
To add a vCenter, you need to have credentials with administrator access to the vCenter, along with root-level
credentials for each host managed by the vCenter. To add a Hyper-V cluster, you must have domain
administrator privileges. You can exclude hosts from the vRanger inventory, which also excludes them from
licensing.
Adding repositories
Repositories are where vRanger stores the savepoints created by each backup job. You can create a repository
from a standard File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Network File System (NFS), Common Internet File System (CIFS), or
Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) share. You may also deduplicate vRanger backups by sending them to a Dell
DR RDA, EMC Data Domain (DD Boost), or Dell NetVault SmartDisk repository. To add a repository, you need
the name of the server and share, and an account with access to that share. If you are using Dell RDA or DD
Boost repositories, you can also set up repository replication with another repository of the same type. For
more information on replication, see Managing repository replication.
Deploying virtual appliances (VAs)

vRanger uses a VA for replication to and from VMware ESXi servers, for Linux FLR, and optionally for backups
and restores. Before fully utilizing vRanger, you need to deploy and configure VAs to your ESXi servers. For more
information, see the Dell vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.
Adding physical servers to inventory

vRanger includes the ability to back up and restore physical servers. Before you can back up a physical server,
you must add it to the vRanger inventory and supply credentials with Administrator access to the server.
Scheduling a backup job

With a VMware vCenter and a Repository configured, the next step is to schedule a backup job.
To schedule a backup job:

1
Select an object to back up.

You may select any vCenter object VM, Host, Datacenter, and so on or a physical server.
To start the Backup Wizard, do one of the following:
Click the Add drop-down menu, and then click Backup Job.
Right-click the object you want to back up, and then click Backup <selected object>.

vRanger overview
17
Select the disks to include or skip.
Select the Repository to use.
Select your transport method automatic or custom.
Select your backup options, such as compression or enabling guest quiescing.
Select your backup type Incremental, Differential, or Full.
Configure Retention Policies.
Schedule the backup job or set to run On Demand.
For more information about the Backup Wizard or available options, see Backup.
Scheduling a replication job

With a VMware vCenter and a VA or VAs if necessary configured, the next step is to configure a replication
job.
To schedule a replication job:

1
Select a VM to replicate.
To start the Replication Job Wizard, do one of the following:
Click the Add drop-down menu, and then click Replication Job.
Right-click the VM you want to replicate, and then click Replicate <VMname>.
Enter a name and description for the job.
Select a target host.
Select the type of replication, Differential or Hybrid.

Differential is the most common option.
Map networks for the target VM.
Select the disk or disks to replicate.
Configure job options.
Configure the schedule for the replication job.
10 Configure email notifications.

For more information about the Replication Wizard or available options, see Replicate VMs.

vRanger overview
18
3
Configuring vRanger
Configuring vRanger through the Startup Wizard
Configuring vRanger manually
Supplemental instructions: additional repository types
Understanding the vRanger virtual appliance (VA)
Before configure vRanger, confirm that you have access to all user names, passwords, and root passwords for
the VMware ESXi hosts that you intend to use.
vRanger requires some basic configurations to ensure that the software functions properly. You complete the
initial configuration through the Startup Wizard, which starts when you first install vRanger. If you would rather
configure settings through the menu commands and icons on the main vRanger screen, you can do so. In either
case, you can revise the settings at any time.
After completing the basic configuration process, you can use either the Startup Wizard or the Configuration
Options dialog box to manage your settings. Although the Configuration Options dialog box offers some
functionality that the Startup Wizard does not, you can use either method to manage host licensing or email
server data. Only the Configuration Options dialog box lets you manage resources on the task level. Given the
role that tasks play in making backup and restore jobs, this resource is vital.
Configuring vRanger through the

Startup Wizard
You must set up an email Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server to enable notification during job creation.
Later in this process, on the Email Notification Selection page, you have the option of choosing recipients. A
plain text email is sent after the job completes. The notification includes the job results, if you select that
option.
To configure vRanger though the Startup Wizard, complete the following tasks and processes:
Opening the Startup Wizard
Adding and selecting a license
Adding vCenter and host information
Adding Hyper-V System Center VMM, cluster, and host information
Selecting hosts for licenses
Adding a physical machine
Selecting physical machines for licenses

Configuring vRanger
19
Deploying and configuring the VA from the Startup Wizard
Adding a repository
Setting up the SMTP server
Opening the Startup Wizard

Complete the following steps to open the Startup Wizard and begin configuring vRanger.
To start the wizard:

1
Do one of the following:
If you just installed the software, the Startup Wizard automatically starts.
If the software was already installed, on the Main toolbar, click Tools > Startup Wizard.
In the Startup Wizard dialog box, click Next.
Adding and selecting a license

On the Licenses page of the wizard, complete the following steps to select add and select a vRanger license.
This procedure applies to adding a permanent license and a trial license.
To add and select a license:

1
Click Add New License.
Select the license, and click OK to import it.

CAUTION: Adding a license with fewer features or CPUs than the current license could result in the
loss of functionality, or in some hosts or machines becoming unlicensed.
Review the information in the License information for <licenseFile> section to make sure that it
displays the expected allotments.
NOTE: When applying an extended license over an existing or trial license, the highest license
count is used.
Click Save.
Under Currently Installed Licenses, you see the type of license installed. If it is a trial license, it reads,
License Type: Extended Trial and lists the number of days remaining in your extended trial period. Trial
licenses applied display the word Trial next to the Licenses Allowed and Licenses Used counts.
Click Next.
Removing an extended trial license

The extended trial license is automatically removed when the trial period has elapsed, but you may also remove
it prior to the expiration of the trial period.
To remove an extended trial license:

1
On the Main toolbar, click Tools > Options.
In the Configuration Options dialog box, under the Licensing node, click Product.
On the Product License page, click Remove Trial Extension.

Configuring vRanger
20
NOTE: The Remove Trial Extension button is available only when trial extension is present. When
the trial extension is removed, the button is also removed.
4
In the Licensing window, click Yes to confirm.
Under Currently Installed Licenses, confirm that the primary license is applied.
For the Virtual Machine Backup, Physical Machines Backup, and Virtual Machine Replication nodes,
confirm your license allocation.
Adding vCenter and host information

The VirtualCenter and Host Information page appears. Before vRanger can add source objects to the My
Inventory pane, you must configure a connection to a VMware vCenter or a VMware ESXi Server, or both.
To add vCenter and host information, complete the following tasks as necessary:
Adding a vCenter: Complete this task to add a vCenter and all associated hosts.
Entering host credentials: Complete this task to add credentials to hosts that appeared after adding a
vCenter.
Adding hosts: Complete this task to add individual hosts not associated with a vCenter.
Adding a vCenter
Complete the following steps to add a VMware vCenter to your vRanger configuration.
To add a vCenter:
1
In the VirtualCenters section, click Add.

The Add VirtualCenter Credentials dialog box appears.
In the DNS Name or IP field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the vCenter Server.
In the User Name field, enter the name of an account with privileges on the vCenter Server.
For the required permissions for a vRanger vCenter account, see the Dell vRanger Installation/Upgrade
Guide.
NOTE: The user name for the vCenter credential should be entered in the username@domain
format, rather than domain\username. Sometimes, the domain might not be required. Avoid
special characters in the user name.
If these credentials are changed in the future, you must restart the Dell vRanger Service to
recognize the changes.
In the User Password field, enter the password for the preceding account.
NOTE: Avoid special characters in the password.
In the Port Number field, enter the port to use for communication the default is 443.
Click Connect.
The dialog box closes, and the vCenter appears in the VirtualCenters section and on the VirtualCenter
and Host Information page. The hosts managed by that vCenter appear in the Hosts section.
The hosts displayed show the icon
. There are four key indicators shown in the icon:
The large gold key indicates that the host has been issued a vRanger license.
The green dot indicates that the host has been assigned a backup license.
Configuring vRanger
21
The blue dot indicates that the host has been assigned a replication license.
The authentication method for the host is indicated by the icon superimposed on the host icon:
If the host is authenticated with vCenter credentials only, the vCenter icon appears
superimposed over the host icon:
If the host is authenticated with host credentials, a gold key is superimposed over the host
icon:
CAUTION: vCenter credentials are sufficient for operations that use only the vStorage API.
Entering host credentials

Complete the following steps to enter the credentials required to connect to the host or hosts.
To enter host credentials:

1
In the Hosts section, select one or more hosts.

TIP: To select all hosts, select the upper-most check box.
Click Edit.
The Host Connections dialog box appears. If you have selected multiple hosts, the DNS Name or IP
section displays [multiple connections].
In the User Name field, enter an account for the host.

You may use the root account if connections through the root are enabled, or a non-root account. If the
account does not yet exist on the host, select Add user if user does not exist.
In the Root Password field, enter the root password for the selected hosts.
If your hosts use different root passwords, configure them in like groups based on the root password.
Click Connect.
The icon next to the host changes to
, showing that the vCenter icon has been replaced with a key.
If there is an authentication problem, such as connections through the root account being disabled, the
status icon displays an alarm. If alarm appears, edit the host connection to use a non-root user account.
Make sure that the Add user if user does not exist option is selected.
NOTE: VMware ESXi requires the use of the root account. You cannot use a non-root account
with ESXi.
8
When all connections have been made and verified, click Next.
Adding hosts
If you have hosts that are not managed by a VMware vCenter, you can add them individually.
To add hosts:
1
In the Host section, click Add.
In the DNS Name or IP field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the Host.

Configuring vRanger
22
4
In the Root Password field, enter the password for the root account.
Click Connect.
The host appears in the Hosts section.
To continue in the wizard, click Next.
Adding Hyper-V System Center VMM, cluster,

and host information
The Hyper-V Cluster and Host Information page of the Startup Wizard appears. Before vRanger can add source
objects to the My Inventory pane, you must configure a connection to a Hyper-V System Center Virtual Machine
Manager (VMM), cluster, or host.
To add a Hyper-V System Center VMM, cluster, or host, complete the following tasks as necessary:
Adding a Hyper-V System Center VMM
Adding a Hyper-V cluster
Adding hosts
Adding a Hyper-V System Center VMM

Complete the steps in the following procedure to add a Hyper-V System Center VMM.
IMPORTANT: Before adding the System Center VMM connection, you must install the System Center VMM
Administrator Console on the vRanger machine.
To add a Hyper-V System Center VMM:

1
In the Hyper-V System Center Virtual Machine Managers section, click Add.
In the DNS Name or IP field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the Hyper-V System Center VMM.
In the User Name field, enter the name of an account with domain administrator privileges on the
System Center VMM.
If this VMM is a new System Center VMM, or if you have removed the vRanger Hyper-V agent, select
Install agent on host.
Configure the ports as follows:
In the Agent Port Number field, enter the port you want vRanger to use to communicate with the
vRanger agent installed on each Hyper-V host. This port must be open between vRanger and each
Hyper-V server the default is 8081.
In the SCVMM Port Number field, enter the port you want vRanger to use to communicate with
the System Center VMM server the default is 8100. Click Connect.
IMPORTANT: This port is configured during System Center VMM installation. If you chose a
port number different from the default, enter that value here.
Click Next.

Configuring vRanger
23
The Hyper-V System Center VMM appears in the Hyper-V System Center Virtual Machine Managers
section. The hosts managed by that VMM appear in the Hosts section.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to add a Hyper-V cluster.
To add a Hyper-V cluster:

1
In the Hyper-V Cluster section, click Add.
In the DNS Name or IP field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the Hyper-V cluster.
cluster.
If this cluster is new, or if you have removed the vRanger Hyper-V agent, select Install agent on host.
In the Port Number field, enter the preferred port you want vRanger to use to communicate with the
Hyper-V cluster on the source server.
This port must be open between vRanger and each Hyper-V server the default is 8081.
Click Connect.
Click Next.
The Hyper-V cluster appears in the Hyper-V Clusters section. The hosts managed by that cluster appear
in the Hosts section.
Adding hosts
If you have hosts that are not part of a cluster, you can add them individually.
To add hosts:
1
If this host is new, or if you have removed the vRanger Hyper-V agent, select Install agent on host.
Hyper-V host on the source server.
Click Connect.

Configuring vRanger
24
Selecting hosts for licenses

The Host Licensing Information page appears. It displays total licensed sockets, used sockets, and the remaining
days left in a trial period.
NOTE: VM licenses include all VMs. Licenses for both VMware and Hyper-V VMs are drawn from the same
socket count.
To select hosts for licenses:

1
View the CPUs Allowed value to confirm the number of sockets that are licensed for protection.
The number of licenses currently allocated is shown in the CPUs Used column.
The Licensed Hosts section lists the managed hosts, the number of sockets for each host, and the
licensed features for that host.
The CPUs column indicates the license cost of each host.
In the Pro Backup or Replication column, select or clear hosts until you have used all the available
licenses, or until all your hosts are protected.
Click Save.
Click Next.
Adding a physical machine

The Physical Machine Information page appears. Before vRanger can add physical source objects to the My
Inventory pane, you must configure a connection to a physical server.
To add a physical machine:

1
In the Physical Machines section, click Add.
In the DNS Name or IP field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the server.
In the User Name field, enter an account for the server.
If this server is new, or if you have removed the vRanger agent, select Install agent on machine.
In the Agent Location field, enter the preferred directory on the physical machine to which the
physical client should be installed. The default is C:\Program Files\Dell\vRangerPhysicalClient.
In the Port Number field, enter the preferred port for vRanger to use to communicate with the physical
client on the source server.
This port must be open between vRanger and each physical server the default is 51000.
Click Connect.
The server appears in the My Inventory pane. You may also create a backup group to combine multiple physical
servers into one backup job. For more information, see Adding a custom backup group.
Selecting physical machines for licenses

Before you start this process, make sure that you have imported the license file and confirmed that it is
adequate for managing the number of physical machines you want to protect. The Currently Installed Licenses
section includes the total number of physical machine licenses available, and the number being used currently.
These numbers increment and decrement based on the selections you make on this page.

Configuring vRanger
25
To select physical machines for licenses:

1
In the Currently Installed Licenses section, view the Machines Allowed value to confirm the total
number of physical machines licenses available.
The number of licenses currently allocated is shown in the Machines Used column. The Licensed
Physical Machine section lists the physical machines in the vRanger inventory, and indicates whether
each machine is licensed for backup.
In the Physical Backup column, select or clear machines until you have used all the available licenses, or
until all your machines are protected.
Click OK.
Deploying and configuring the VA from the

Startup Wizard
vRanger uses a virtual appliance (VA) for Linux file-level restore (FLR), standard backup and restore, and for
replication to and from VMware ESXi servers.
There are two ways to deploy and configure a VA: the Startup Wizard and the Tools menu.
If you do not want to complete the Virtual Appliance Information page of the Startup Wizard now, you may skip
this step and continue with the Startup Wizard. You can access the Virtual Appliance Configuration dialog box at
any time by way of the Options available from the Tools drop-down menu.
To complete the Virtual Appliance Information page of the Startup Wizard and deploy and configure a VA now,
complete the following procedure.
To deploy and configure the VA from the Startup Wizard:

1
On the Virtual Appliance Information page of the Startup Wizard, start the Virtual Appliance
Deployment Wizard from the Startup Wizard by clicking Deploy Virtual Appliance.
Complete the deployment wizard by following the steps in Deploying the VA by using the Virtual
Appliance Deployment Wizard.
To add a VA configuration, click Add, and then complete the following steps:
a
In the Add Virtual Appliance Configuration dialog box, select a VA from the inventory tree.
Under Virtual Appliance Properties, do any of the following:
c
4
Select Override IP Address, and then enter a new IP address in the IP Address field.
Enter a root password for the VA in the Root Password field.
Select Use as default virtual appliance for cluster, to use this VA for all machines that are
a part of the associated cluster.
Click OK.
To configure an existing VA, select a VA from the list, and then click Edit.
In the Modify Virtual Appliance Configuration dialog box, edit any of the following settings:
Virtual Appliance Properties
Virtual Appliance Options
Replication
Scratch Disk
Password
Linux File Level Restore
For more information, see Changing the VA configuration.

Configuring vRanger
26
To delete a VA, do the following:

a
Select a VA from the list.
Click Remove.
The Removing VA dialog box appears.
Select the job you want to remove, and click OK.
In the Confirm Delete dialog box, click OK.

If you want to remove the entire VA rather than a single job, first select Delete the virtual
appliance from the host, and then click OK.
Under Linux FLR Virtual Appliance, if you want to plan for Linux FLR, select the VA you want to use from
the drop-down list.
Click Next.
Adding a repository
vRanger uses repositories to store backup archives. Repositories can be one of the following types:
Windows Share (CIFS)
SFTP
FTP
NFS (version 3)
NetVault SmartDisk (NVSD): The Dell disk-based data-deduplication option which reduces storage costs
with byte-level, variable-block-based software deduplication. For more information on NetVault
SmartDisk, see http://software.dell.com/products/netvault-smartdisk/ or the Dell vRanger Integration
Guide for Dell NetVault SmartDisk.
EMC Data Domain Boost (DDB): Integrating EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) with vRanger is
achieved by adding a Data Domain appliance running DD Boost to vRanger as a repository. Backups
written to that repository are deduplicated according to your configuration. For more information on DD
Boost, see http://www.emc.com/data-protection/data-domain/data-domain-boost.htm or the Dell
vRanger Integration Guide for EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost).
Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA): Provided by the Dell DR Series appliances purpose-built, disk backup
appliances that use Dell deduplication technology to improve backup and recovery processes. For more
information on Dell DR Series appliances, see http://software.dell.com/products/dr-series-disk-backupappliances/ or the Dell vRanger Integration Guide for Dell DR Series Disk Backup Appliance.
NOTE: Dell RDA and EMC DD Boost repositories support repository replication. For more information, see
Managing repository replication.
The following procedure shows mounting a CIFS share to the My Repositories pane. The procedures for the other
repository types are described in Supplemental instructions: additional repository types
To add a repository:
1
Under Repositories, select Windows Share (CIFS).
Populate the Repository Name field.

This value appears in the My Repositories pane.
Populate the Description field.
Enter a username and password in the appropriate fields.
Select a Security Protocol from the drop-down list: NTLM (Default), or NTLM v2
In the Server field, type the UNC path to the preferred repository directory.
Configuring vRanger
27
Alternatively, enter a partial path, and click Browse to find the target directory.
NOTE: You must enter a valid username and password before using the browse functionality.
CAUTION: If you use the Encrypt all backups to this repository feature, make certain to retain the
password you enter. There is no back-door or administrator-level password. If the password is
unknown, the backups are not usable.
7
If you want these backups password-protected, select Encrypt all backups to this repository, enter a
Password for the encrypted repository, and then confirm the password by re-entering it.
NOTE: Encryption is not supported for NetVault SmartDisk and DD Boost repositories.
Enter a Password for the encrypted repository, and confirm the password by re-entering it.
Click Save.
The connection to the repository is tested and the repository is added to the My Repositories pane and
the Repository Information dialog box.
vRanger checks the configured repository location for existing manifest data to identify existing
savepoints.
10 If vRanger finds existing savepoints, click the applicable button:
Import as Read-Only: To import all savepoint data into the vRanger database, but only for
restores, click this button. You cannot back up data to this repository.
Import: To import all savepoint data into the vRanger database, click this button. vRanger is able
to use the repository for backups and restores. vRanger requires read and write access to the
directory.
Overwrite: To retain the savepoint data on the disk and not import it into vRanger, click this
button. vRanger ignores the existence of the existing savepoint data and treats the repository as
new.
11 Click Next.
Setting up the SMTP server

On the Mail Server Information page, you can configure an SMTP server, Select one that does not require
authentication so that there are no obstacle to email notification transmission.
To set up the SMTP server:

1
In the SMTP Server field, enter the DNS name or IP of an SMTP server.
In the Port field, enter the port to use for communication the default is 25.
If your SMTP requires use of authentication or encryption, or both, click Advanced, and complete the
following in the SMTP Server Advanced dialog box:
To use authentication, select the SMTP server requires authentication check box, and enter the
applicable user name and password. If applicable, include the domain followed by a backward
slash before the name.
To use SSL, select the Connect using SSL check box.
Click OK.
In the From Address field, enter the email address that vRanger should use.
NOTE: Make sure that you use a valid email account registered to the SMTP server that you added.

Configuring vRanger
28
Click Send Test Email.
If preferred, select Do not send email notifications for successful jobs.
Adding an email address

Complete the following steps on the Mail Server Information page of the wizard to add an email address to the
vRanger address book.
To add an email address:

1
To add recipients, click Add.
Populate the Name and Email Address fields.
Click OK to add the information to the Email Addresses list.
Repeat Step 1 through Step 3 to include additional contacts.
Click Finish.
Configuring vRanger manually

The following instructions describe how to configure vRanger without using the Startup Wizard by manually
adding the servers you want to protect. You can manually add VMware and Hyper-V VMs, physical machines,
and repositories, as well as the configurations necessary for email notifications.
The process of manually configuring vRanger includes the following tasks:
Adding a vCenter
Adding a vCloud Director
Adding an ESXi server
Adding a Hyper-V System Center VMM, cluster, or host
Adding a physical server
Adding a repository
Configuring an SMTP server
Configuring display language
Configuring a virtual appliance (VA)
Importing a license file
Managing VM host licensing
Managing physical machine licensing
Managing job configuration settings
Enabling cataloging options
Managing Transport Failover options
Configuring the number of times a backup process tries to run

Configuring vRanger
29
Adding a vCenter
Complete the steps in the following procedure to add a VMware vCenter for vRanger backup.
To add a VirtualCenter:
1
In the My Inventory view, click the VMware tab.
Click the Add icon, and then click Virtual Center.

The Add VirtualCenter Credentials dialog box appears.
In the DNS Name or IP field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the VMware vCenter Server.
In the User Name field, enter the name of an account with privileges on the vCenter Server.
For the required permissions for a vRanger vCenter account, see the topic on configuring vCenter
permissions in the Dell vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.
NOTE: The user name for the vCenter credential should be entered in the username@domain
format, rather than domain\username. Sometimes, the domain name might not be required. Avoid
special characters in the user name.
If these credentials are changed in the future, you must restart the Dell vRanger Service to
recognize the changes.
Click Connect.
vRanger attempts to connect to the vCenter using the current configuration. If it is successful, the
vCenter appears in the My Inventory pane.
Adding a vCloud Director

Complete the steps in the following procedure to add a VMware vCloud Director server for vRanger backup.
To add a vCloud Director:

1
In the My Inventory view, click the vCloud tab.
Click the Add icon, and then click vCloud Director.

The Add vCloud Director Credentials dialog box appears.
In the DNS Name or IP field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the vCloud Director server.
In the User Name field, enter the name of an account with administrator privileges on the vCloud
Director server.
Click Connect.
vRanger attempts to connect to the vCloud Director server using the current configuration. If it is
successful, the vCloud Director appears in the My Inventory pane.
You are prompted to add credentials for each VMware vCenter Server attached to the vCloud Director.

Configuring vRanger
30
In the Add vCloud Director Credentials dialog box, identify any vCenter Servers for which credentials
are not configured.
The authentication status is indicated by a connection icon in the left-most column. A red disconnected
icon indicates that a vCenter needs authentication.
Add the user name and password for the vCenter Servers as required, and click Connect to authenticate.
Click Done.
Adding an ESXi server

Complete the steps in the following procedure to add a VMware ESXi server to vRanger protection.
To add an ESXi server:

1
In the My Inventory view, click the VMware tab.
Click the Add icon, and then click ESX Host.

In the Root Password field, enter the password for the root account.
Click Connect.
If the ESXi server is already part of a vCenter added to vRanger, the host is added to the tree structure
under the vCenter.
NOTE: If the connection is unsuccessful, confirm that the configuration settings are correct and
that the ESXi server is visible to the computer where vRanger is installed.
Adding a Hyper-V System Center VMM, cluster,

or host
Complete the steps in the following procedure to add a Hyper-V System Center VMM, cluster, or host to
vRanger protection.
To add a Hyper-V host:

1
In the My Inventory view, click the Hyper-V tab.
Click the Add icon, and then click Hyper-V Host.

The Add Credentials dialog box appears.
Hyper-V host on the source server. This port must be open between vRanger and each Hyper-V server
the default is 8081.
Configuring vRanger
31
To add a Hyper-V System Center VMM:

IMPORTANT: Before adding the System Center VMM connection, you must install the System Center VMM
Administrator Console on the vRanger machine.
1
Click the Add icon, and then click Hyper-V System Center VMM.
In the DNS Name or IP field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the Hyper-V System Center VMM.
System Center VMM.
If this VMM is new System Center VMM, or if you have removed the vRanger Hyper-V agent, select Install
agent on host.
Configure the ports as follows:
In the Agent Port Number field, enter the port you want vRanger to use to communicate with the
vRanger agent installed on each Hyper-V host. This port must be open between vRanger and each
Hyper-V server the default is 8081.
In the SCVMM Port Number field, enter the port you want vRanger to use to communicate with
the System Center VMM server the default is 8100. Click Connect.
IMPORTANT: This port is configured during System Center VMM installation. If you chose a
port number different from the default, enter that value here.
Click Next.
The VMM appears in the Hyper-V System Center Virtual Machine Managers section. The hosts managed
by that VMM appear in the Hosts section.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to add a Hyper-V cluster.
To add a Hyper-V cluster:

1
Click the Add icon, and then click Hyper-V Failover Cluster.
In the DNS Name or IP field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the Hyper-V cluster.
cluster.
If this cluster is new, or if you have removed the vRanger Hyper-V agent, select Install agent on host.
Hyper-V cluster on the source server.
Click Connect, and then click Next.

The Hyper-V cluster appears in the Hyper-V Clusters section. The hosts managed by that cluster appear
in the Hosts section.

Configuring vRanger
32
Adding hosts
If you have hosts that are not part of a cluster, you can add them individually.
To add hosts:
1
Hyper-V host on the source server.
Click Connect.
Adding a physical server

Complete the steps in the following procedure to add a physical server to vRanger protection.
To add a physical server:

1
In the My Inventory view, click the Physical tab.
Click the Add icon, and then click Physical Machine.

The Add Physical Machine Credentials dialog box appears.
In the DNS Name or IP field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the server.
In the User Name field, enter an account for the server.
If this server is new, or if you have removed the vRanger agent, select Install agent on machine.
In the Agent Location field, enter the preferred directory on the physical machine to which the
physical client should be installed. The default is C:\Program Files\Dell\vRangerPhysicalClient.
In the Port Number field, enter the preferred port for vRanger to use to communicate with the physical
client on the source server.
This port must be open between vRanger and each physical server the default is 51000.
Click Connect.
The server appears in the My Inventory pane. You may also create a backup group to combine multiple
physical servers into one backup job. For more information, see Adding a custom backup group.

Configuring vRanger
33
Installing the physical client manually

vRanger requires a physical backup client to be installed on the source physical server. This process is normally
done when the source server is added to the vRanger inventory, but in some circumstances it might be necessary
to install the client manually.
To install the physical client manually:

1
On the vRanger server, find the physical client installation file vRangerPhysicalClient.exe.
The file is located in the Service subdirectory of the vRanger installation folder. The default is
C:\Program Files\Dell\vRanger\Service.
Copy the client to the preferred location on the source server.
From the source servers command line, run the vRangerPhysicalClient.exe command modified by the
following parameters:
USERNAME: Enter the name for an account with administrative Log on as a service rights on the
source server.
PASSWORD: Enter the password for the preceding account.
DOMAIN: [Optional] If no value is entered, the preceding account is considered a local account. If
you use a network account, enter the domain for the account here.
INSTALL_DIR: [Optional] The default is C:\Program Files\Dell\vRangerPhysicalClient.
PORT: [Optional] The default is 51000
Command examples
The following examples show the proper syntax for using the installer.
To accept the defaults, you must only provide credentials for the source server:
vRangerPhysicalClient.exe /USERNAME="administrator" /PASSWORD="Password"
You may also use a network account:

vRangerPhysicalClient.exe /DOMAIN="development "/USERNAME="user1"
/PASSWORD="Password"
To change the install location or port number, add that parameter with the preferred value:
/INSTALL_DIR="c:\vRangerPhysicalClient"
/PORT=52000

Configuring vRanger
34
Adding a repository
The following instructions describe how to add a CIFS repository to vRanger. For information about adding other
types of repositories, see Supplemental instructions: additional repository types.
To add a repository:
1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > Windows Share (CIFS).
NOTE: These instructions describe the process for adding a CIFS repository. The procedures for the
other repository types are described in Supplemental instructions: additional repository types.
In the Add Windows Network Share Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
Repository Name: Enter a name for the repository.
Description: [Optional] Enter a long-form description for the repository.
User Name and Password: Enter the credentials for accessing the CIFS share.
Security Protocol: Select a protocol, NTLM (default) or NTLMv2.
Server: Enter the path to the preferred directory. Alternatively, you may enter the server IP or
DNS name and click Browse, and browse to the correct path.
CAUTION: Paths for CIFS repositories are case-sensitive. When entering the path for a CIFS directory,
ensure that the path is entered in the correct case.
3
Click OK.
Managing repository replication

If you are using Dell RDA or EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) repositories, you can also set up repository
replication with another repository of the same type. For information on adding these types of repositories, see
Adding an EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) repository and Adding a Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository.
After the first repository is added to vRanger and another is available for replication, you can synchronize
replication in one of three ways:
Automatically, after a successful backup task to that repository.
As a separate job on a scheduled basis.
Manually, using the Synchronize option.

Configuring vRanger
35
Configuring a repository for automatic replication

When a managed repository is configured for savepoint replication, and a backup task completes successfully,
each savepoint is also replicated to the replication repository.
To enable automatic savepoint replication:

1
Under the Repositories node, select Replication.

TIP: You may also right-click the target repository in the My Repositories pane, and select
Repository Replication Options.
Select Enable savepoint replication for a successful backup job task, and click Ok.
Scheduling repository synchronization

When using scheduled repository synchronization, savepoints are replicated to the replication repository
according to a configured schedule.
To schedule a repository synchronization:

1
Under the Repositories node, select Replication.
In the Repository Replication Configuration pane, find the Repository Name column, and select the
applicable repository.
The repositories listed are the target repositories.
Select Schedule repository synchronization.
Configure the replication schedule as desired, using the following information as a guide.
a
Start: In the drop-down list, select the time for the replication task to begin.
Recurrence Pattern: Establish how often the changes should be synchronized. There are five
options within this section:
Daily: The daily option can be scheduled to synchronize the repository every weekday or
every x number of days.
Weekly: Repository synchronization can be configured to run on weekly intervals, from

every week to every 99 weeks. The day of the week on which to run synchronization tasks
can be configured.
Monthly: The monthly option offers the following configurations:
Day [x] of every [y] month:

x can be any value from 1 to 31. This value determines the day of the month on
which the synchronization job occurs.
y can be any value from 1 to 99. This value determines the monthly interval for
example, every two months sets the job to run every other month.
The [f] [d] of every [y] month(s):

f can be either: first, second, third, fourth or last.
d can be: weekday, weekend day, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, or Saturday.
y can be any value from 1 to 99. This value determines the monthly interval for
example, every two months sets the synchronization task to run every other
month.
Configuring vRanger
36
Yearly: The yearly option offers the following configurations:
Every [m] [x]:

m is any month of the year. This value determines the month of the year in which
the synchronization occurs.
x can be any value from 1 to 31. This value determines the day of the month on
which the synchronization occurs.
The [f] [d] of [m]:

f can be either: first, second, third, fourth, or last.
d can be: day, weekday, weekend day, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
m is any month of the year. This value determines the month of the year in which
the synchronization occurs.
Interval: The interval option lets you select the number of days, hours, and minutes that
should pass between backup jobs. The interval selected must be greater than or equal to
five minutes.
Click OK to schedule the job.
To synchronize a repository manually:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click the source or replication repository, and select Synchronize.
When the confirmation prompt appears, click Yes.
Disabling repository replication

To disable repository replication:
1
On the Main toolbar, click Tools > Options. Under the Repositories node, select Replication.
Right-click the replication repository, and select Repository Replication Options.
Clear the check box for Enable savepoint replication for a successful backup job task or Schedule
repository synchronization, or both.
Click OK.
Replication is disabled as indicated by a red circle icon containing a white exclamation point.
Changing a replication repository to a primary repository

If your primary repository becomes corrupt or otherwise unavailable, you can quickly change your replication
repository to a primary repository to continue backup and recovery operations.
To change a replication repository to a primary repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click the replication repository, and click Remove.
IMPORTANT: Ensure that Delete all savepoints in this repository is not selected.
Click OK.
In the My Repositories pane, click Add.
Select the appropriate repository type either EMC Data Domain Boost or Dell Rapid Data Access
(RDA).

Configuring vRanger
37
Complete the Add Repository dialog box as appropriate for your repository type, and click OK.
Use the information in Adding an EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) repository or Adding a Dell Rapid
Data Access (RDA) repository as required.
When vRanger detects that the repository being added contains savepoint data and displays the
Warning: Existing Repository Found dialog box, click Import to reconfigure the repository as a primary
repository.
Configuring an SMTP server

Complete the steps in the following procedure to configure an SMTP server for email notifications from vRanger.
To configure an SMTP server:

1
Under the General node on the Configuration Options page, click Email Configuration.
Populate the SMTP Server field.
Leave the default 25 in the Port field.
If your SMTP requires use of authentication or encryption, or both, click Advanced, and complete the
following in the SMTP Server Advanced dialog box:
a
To use authentication, select the SMTP server requires authentication check box, and enter the
applicable user name and password. If applicable, include the domain followed by a backward
slash before the name.
To use SSL, select the Connect using SSL check box.
Click OK.
In the From Address field, enter an email address from which notifications should be sent.
Click Send Test Email.

The confirmation message confirms the server connection and successful transmission to the email
address you entered.
Click OK.
If preferred, select Do not send email notifications for successful jobs.
Adding an email address

Complete the steps in the following procedure to add the email addresses you want to receive email
notifications from vRanger.
To add an email address:

1
Under the General node in the Configuration Options page, click Email Configuration.
In the Email Addresses section, click Add.
Click the Add button.
Enter the contact name and email address, and click OK.

Configuring vRanger
38
Editing an email address

Complete the steps in the following task to edit email addresses in vRanger.
To edit an email address:

1
Under the General node, click Email Configuration.
In the Email Addresses section, select the email address that you want to update, and click Edit.
Update the information, and click Update.

The information is updated and moved to the Email Addresses section.
Click OK.
Removing an email address

Complete the steps in the following procedure to remove an email address from vRanger.
To remove an email address:

1
Under the General node on the Configuration Options page, click Email Configuration.
In the Email Addresses section, select the email address that you want to delete.
Click Remove.
The listing is deleted.
Click OK.
Configuring display language

vRanger lets you configure the language used when displaying the vRanger UI.
To configure display language:

1
Under the General node in the Configuration Options dialog box, click Language.
From the Available Languages drop-down list, select the language to be used.
If preferred, select based on system locale to make an automatic setting based on the vRanger
machines locale setting.
Click OK.

Configuring vRanger
39
Configuring a virtual appliance (VA)

vRanger uses a VA for Linux FLR, standard backup and restore, and for replication to and from VMware ESXi
servers. The Virtual Appliance Configuration dialog box lets you add a configured VA to vRanger, and select the
VA to use for Linux FLR. VAs deployed using the Virtual Appliance Deployment Wizard is added to vRanger
automatically.
NOTE: You must have deployed and configured at least one VA before you can add it to vRanger. For
instructions on VA deployment, see Understanding the vRanger virtual appliance (VA).
To configure a VA:
1
In the Configuration Options dialog box, select Virtual Appliance Configuration.
Click Add.
The Add virtual appliance configuration dialog box appears, showing the vCenter inventory tree.
Browse the inventory tree, and select the VA.
Enter the root password for the VA, and click OK.
The VA appears in the Deployed Virtual Appliances section.
Importing a license file

Before you start this process, confirm that you have placed your license file in a location that you can reach
easily.
To import a license file:

1
Under the Licensing node in the Configuration Options dialog box, click Product.
Browse to the location where you stored the license file, select it, and click Open.
The new license information is added to the dialog box.
Click Apply.
The dialog box refreshes with the new license information added.
Click OK.
Adding an extended trial license

The process of adding an extended trial license is the same as adding a permanent license. Before you start this
process, confirm that you have placed your license file in a location that you can reach easily.
To add an extended trial license:

1
Under the Licensing node in the Configuration Options dialog box, click Product.
Browse to the location where you stored the license file, select it, and click Open.
The new license information is added to the dialog box.
Click Apply.

Configuring vRanger
40
The dialog box refreshes with the new license information added. Under the Currently Installed
Licenses heading, you see License Type: Extended Trial, and the number of days remaining in your
extended trial period.
Removing an extended trial license

Extended trial licenses are automatically removed when the trial period has elapsed, but you may also remove
then prior to the expiration of the trial period.
To remove an extended trial license:

1
In the Configuration Options > Licensing node, click Remove Trial Extension.
Under Currently Installed Licenses, confirm that the primary license is being applied.
In the Virtual Machine Hosts and Physical Machines node, confirm your license allocation.
Managing VM host licensing

adequate for managing the hosts that you want to use. The Currently Installed Licenses section includes the
total number of CPU licenses, the number being used currently, and the number of licenses remaining. These
numbers increment and decrement based on the selections you make in this dialog box.
NOTE: The Virtual Machine Hosts license applies equally to both Hyper-V and VMware hosts. They are
treated the same in terms of licensing.
To manage VM host licensing:

1
Under the Licensing node, click Virtual Machine Hosts.
In the Currently Installed Licenses section, view the CPUs Allowed value to confirm the number of
sockets that are licensed for protection.
The number of licenses currently allocated is shown in the CPUs Used column.
The Licensed Virtual Machine Hosts section lists the managed hosts, the number of CPUs for each host,
and the licensed features for that host. The CPUs column indicates the license cost of each host.
In the Pro Backup or Replication column, or both, select or clear hosts until you have used all the
available licenses, or until all your hosts are protected.
Click OK.
Managing physical machine licensing

adequate for managing the number of physical machines you want to protect. The Currently Installed Licenses
section includes the total number of physical machine licenses available, and the number being used currently.
These numbers increment and decrement based on the selections you make in this dialog box.
To manage physical machine licensing:

1
Under the Licensing node, click Physical Machine.
In the Currently Installed Licenses section, view the Machines Allowed value to confirm the total
number of physical machines licenses available.
Configuring vRanger
41
The number of licenses currently allocated is shown in the Machines Used column.
The Licensed Physical Machine section lists the physical machines in the vRanger inventory, and indicates
whether each machine is licensed for backup.
4
In the Physical Backup column, select or clear machines until you have used all the available licenses, or
until all your machines are protected.
Click OK.
Managing job configuration settings

Through the Configuration Options dialog box, you can set limits for the number of tasks running, the time
frame for task execution, and the space allowed on a datastore to accommodate snapshot growth.
The maximum number of tasks are defined in the following table.
Table 1. Maximum number of tasks
On vRanger
The maximum number of backup, restore, and replication tasks running on this
instance of vRanger at any one time.
off a LUN
The maximum number of tasks allowed on any particular logical storage device.
on a host
The maximum number of tasks running on a host at any given time.
per repository
The maximum number of tasks allowed on any specific repository at any specific
time.
locally
The number of backup and restore tasks that are physically running on the local
vRanger machine.
per VA
The number of replication tasks running on a vRanger virtual appliance (VA).
To manage job configuration settings:

1
Under the My Jobs node, click Configuration.
In the Resource Management section, set a maximum for the number of tasks that can be run:
On vRanger (>=1): Default is 100.
Off a LUN (1 to 5): Default is 3.
On a host (1 to 4): Default is 1.
Per repository (>=1): Default is 3.
Locally (1 to 20): Default is 3.
Per VA (1 to 18): Default is 2.
In the Timeout section, populate the Task Timeout (1 - 999 hours) field the default is 24.
In the Minimum space needed on host (GB) field, enter a number the default is 6.
Click OK.

Configuring vRanger
42
Enabling cataloging options

The vRanger cataloging function must be enabled before data collection can begin. The Catalog dialog box
includes the option to enable or disable catalog collection, and displays the status of the Catalog Service.
NOTE: For Catalog collections to function, the Catalog Service must display a status of Running.
To enable cataloging options:

1
Under the My Jobs node, click Catalog.
Select Enable Catalog Data Collection.
Click OK.
NOTE: Cataloging must also be enabled for each backup job for which you want to collect catalog
data.
About catalog filtering

While there are thousands or hundreds of thousands of files in a typical VM, most are not relevant to FLR
operations. To streamline cataloging operations, and reduce impact to the catalog database, vRanger filters
files to be indexed in two ways:
Path: By default, vRanger does not catalog any files in the following directories. Path filtering is
determined by entries in the PathFilterTokens.txt file, at C:\Program
Files\Dell\vRanger\Configuration.
Program Files
$Txf
Windows
RECYCLER
$Extend
System Volume Information
$TxfLog
I386
File: By default, vRanger does not catalog files of the following type. File filtering is determined by
entries in the FilesFilterTokens.txt file, at C:\Program
Files\Dell\vRanger\CatalogManager\Config\Files.
.lnk
$Boot
$Reparse
$MFT
$BadClus
$RmMetadata
$Volume
$Secure
$Repair
$AttrDef
$UpCase
$Tops
$BitMap
$Quota
$TxfLog
$ObjID
NOTE: File filtering applies to un-filtered paths. If a path is filtered, files in that path do not need
to be.
For most situations, the default filtering options are sufficient. If you want to filter out additional paths or files,
simply add the path or file to the appropriate text file.

Configuring vRanger
43
Managing Transport Failover options

Replication transport actions occur through HotAdd LAN-free or network. If one transport method is not
available, vRanger attempts to perform the replication task using one of the other transport methods. The
order in which you should sort the transport options depends on what type of host you have. The VA-based
Network option is the slowest of the three, and should be configured last. For VMware ESXi hosts, configure
the transport order to VA-based HotAdd > VA-based Network.
To manage transport failover settings:

1
Under the My Jobs node, click Transport Failover.
Select the transport options available in your environment.
To change the order of the transport options, click an option to select it, and use the up or down arrows
to move the item higher or lower in the order.
Configuring the number of times a backup

process tries to run
By default, a backup job that fails tries to run again. The default for the maximum number of times that a job
is automatically run again is three. If vRanger appears to run a failing job repeatedly, check the configuration
file to ensure that the default is three. Configuration information is maintained in the configuration file for the
Dell vRanger Service, Vizioncore.vRanger.Service.exe.config. This file is located in the vRanger installation
directory. By default this location is: C:\Program Files\Dell\vRanger.
CAUTION: Open and update this file only when necessary. Change only the values listed in the
following procedure unless directed otherwise by Dell Support.
To open the file and view the applicable information:

1
Locate the Vizioncore.vRanger.Service.exe.config file, and use a text editor to open it.
There are two keys that limit the number of retries:
<add key="BackupRestoreMaxTries" value="3"/>
<add key="BackupMaxTriesOnVMotion" value="3"/>
Verify that these keys are set to 3.
If so, close the file without changes.
If the value is different or blank, for example, value-" ", update the entry, save the file, and
restart the Dell vRanger Service. For more information on restarting the service, see Restarting
the Dell vRanger Service.

Configuring vRanger
44
Supplemental instructions: additional

repository types
The main procedures describe the process for adding a CIFS repository. To add one of the other types, see the
applicable section:
Adding an NFS repository
Adding an FTP repository
Adding an SFTP repository
Adding a NetVault SmartDisk repository
Adding an EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) repository
Adding a Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository

NOTE: Dell RDA and EMC DDB repositories support repository replication. For more information on
configuring repository replication, see Managing repository replication.
Adding an NFS repository

The following configurations are required for adding an NFS repository:
vRanger supports the NFS3 protocol, which does not provide for authentication. vRanger uses the
NFSNobody account to connect to the repository.
The NFSNobody account must have R,W, X permissions for the target directory.
Your /etc/exports file must contain the export directory and a list of the IPs that can connect to the
repository. You may list each the vRanger machine and any VMware ESXi hosts using direct-totarget or use a wildcard *. The export directory should be shared with read/write asynchronous access.
For an export directory of /backups, this entry would look like:
[root@NFSServer etc]# cat exports
/backups *{rw, async}
To add an NFS repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > NFS.
In the Add Network File Share Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
Repository Name: Enter a descriptive name for the repository.
DNS Name or IP: Enter the IP or FQDN for the repository.
Export Directory: Specify the Export directory, which is similar in concept to a network share.
You need to create a target subdirectory in the export directory.
Target Directory: Enter a subdirectory of the NFS Export directory. This subdirectory is the
location to which savepoints are written.
3
Click OK.
Configuring vRanger
45
savepoints.
5
If vRanger finds existing savepoints, click the applicable button:
directory.
new.
Adding an FTP repository

The following process describes how to add an FTP repository.
To add an FTP repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > FTP.
In the Add FTP Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
Target Directory: Enter the directory on the FTP server to which the repository is written.
User name and Password: Enter the name and password for the account that vRanger uses to
connect to the repository.
Port: Enter the port that vRanger uses to connect to the FTP server the default is 21.
Timeout: This value determines how long to wait before terminating an idle connection the
default is 600 seconds.
3
Click OK.
savepoints.
directory.
Configuring vRanger
46
new.
Adding an SFTP repository

The following process describes how to add an SFTP repository.
To add an SFTP repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > SFTP.
In the Add SFTP Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
Target Directory: Enter the directory on the SFTP server to which the repository is written.
User name and Password: Enter the name and password for the account that vRanger uses to
Port: Enter the port that vRanger uses to connect to the SFTP server the default is 22.
Timeout: This value determines how long to wait before terminating an idle connection.
3
Click OK.
savepoints.
directory.
new.
Adding a NetVault SmartDisk repository

The following process describes how to add a Dell NetVault SmartDisk repository.
To add a NetVault SmartDisk repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > NetVault SmartDisk (NVSD).

Configuring vRanger
47
In the Add NVSD Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
DNS Name or IP: Enter the IP or FQDN for the NetVault SmartDisk server.
User name and Password: Enter the credentials for the account that vRanger should use to
NOTE: If you have enabled WebDav authentication on your NetVault SmartDisk server, use
those credentials here. If you have not enabled WebDav authentication, no credentials are
required. For more information, see the Dell NetVault SmartDisk Administrators Guide.
Target Directory: This value is a logical identifier for the repository on the NetVault SmartDisk
Instance, rather than a specific directory on the NetVault SmartDisk server. If you have previously
created one or more repositories on the target NetVault SmartDisk Instance, the existing target
directories are available in a drop-down menu.
To create a repository, enter a name for your repository.
Port: Enter the port that vRanger should use to connect to the NetVault SmartDisk server the
default is 37453.
Timeout: Enter a value that determines how long to wait before terminating an idle connection.
NOTE: Encryption is not supported for NetVault SmartDisk repositories.
Click OK.
savepoints.
directory.
new.
Removing a NetVault SmartDisk repository

The process for removing a NetVault SmartDisk repository is the same as removing any other repository type.
To remove a NetVault SmartDisk repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click the NetVault SmartDisk repository, and select Remove.
The Remove Repository dialog box appears, showing the savepoints in the selected repository.
When removing a repository, you have the option of keeping the savepoints on disk or deleting them.
To remove the savepoints, select Delete all savepoints in this repository.

CAUTION: This step deletes the savepoints from the repository disk, not just the vRanger database.
Exercise caution when deleting savepoints.
If you chose to delete the savepoints, click OK when the Delete Savepoints dialog box appears.
Configuring vRanger
48
The savepoints are deleted, along with the repository.
Adding an EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost)

repository
The following process describes how to add an EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) repository. The following
procedure assumes that:
You have a properly configured Data Domain appliance that is accessible to the vRanger machine.
DD Boost is licensed and enabled on the Data Domain device.
You have designated a DD Boost User account.

NOTE: For information on setting up the preceding configurations, see your EMC Data Domain
documentation.
To add an EMC Data Domain Boost Repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > EMC Data Domain Boost (DDB).
In the Add EMC Data Domain Boost Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
DNS Name or IP: Enter the IP or FQDN for the Data Domain device.
User name and Password: Enter the credentials for the account selected as the DD Boost User on
the Data Domain device.
NOTE: For information on creating a DD Boost user name, see your Data Domain
documentation.
Storage Unit: This field specifies the Storage Unit configured on the Data Domain device. Select
one from the drop-down menu, or enter the name for a new Storage Unit and vRanger creates one
for you.
IMPORTANT: The supported characters are alphanumeric characters and ~!@#$^_+`-={}[],.
Click OK.
savepoints.
directory.
new.

Configuring vRanger
49
Configuring repository replication

Replication is configured through the My Repositories pane of the vRanger interface. The following procedure
assumes that:
You have configured at least one DD Boost repository in vRanger.
At least one other Data Domain device with DD Boost enabled is available in your environment to serve as
the replication target. You do not have to add this device to vRanger.
All devices used in replication have a Replicator license installed.
To configure replication:
1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click the Data Domain Boost repository, and select Configure
Replication.
In the Configure Replication dialog box, complete the following fields:
DNS Name or IP: Enter the IP or FQDN for the Data Domain device.
DD Boost User name and Password: Enter the credentials for the account selected as the DD
Boost User on the Data Domain device.
Storage Unit: This field specifies the Storage Unit configured on the Data Domain device. Select
one from the drop-down menu, or enter the name for a new Storage Unit and vRanger creates one
for you.
Click OK.
The connection to the device is tested and the device is added as a repository is added to the My
Repositories pane and the Repository Information dialog box.
After replication is configured for a repository, the Configure Replication option is disabled for that repository.
IMPORTANT: After a repository is configured for replication, you must select a synchronization method
before replication occurs. For information on manual and automatic synchronization options, see
Editing a replication configuration

You may edit an existing replication configuration to update credentials or timeout values. You may also use the
Edit Repository Details dialog box to view free space for the repository.
1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click the EMC Data Domain Boost repository, and select Edit
Replication Configuration.
In the Edit EMC Data Domain Boost Repository dialog box, edit any of the following fields:
Repository Name
User Name
Password
Alternatively, view the Free Space field for up-to-date information about this repository.
If you edited any of the fields, click Update.

NOTE: For information on disabling repository replication, see Disabling repository replication.

Configuring vRanger
50
Removing an EMC DD Boost repository

The process for removing an EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) repository is the same as removing any
other repository type, except that you also have the option of removing the storage unit used by the repository.
There is a hard limit on the number storage units that can be configured on a Data Domain device, which makes
removing unused storage units an important maintenance effort.
To remove a DD Boost repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click the applicable EMC Data Domain Boost repository, and select
Remove.
When removing a repository, you have the option of keeping the savepoints on disk or deleting them. To
remove the storage unit associated with the repository, you need to remove the savepoints. If replication
is configured for this repository, you are also given the option to delete the savepoints in the replicated
repository.
Select Delete all savepoints in this repository.

To delete the savepoints in a replicated repository, select Delete all savepoints in replication
repository.
Click OK.
When the Delete Savepoints dialog box appears, select Delete DD Boost storage unit, and click OK.
The savepoints are deleted, along with the storage unit associated with the repository.
Adding a Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA)

repository
The Dell DR Series disk-based data protection appliances optimize storage utilization and reduce network
bandwidth requirements with in-line deduplication, server-side compression, and compressed and deduplicated
replication.
The Dell DR Series include the following appliance types:
DR4000 System: This version consists of preinstalled Dell DR System software on a Dell PowerEdge
R510 appliance platform.
DR4100 System: This version consists of preinstalled Dell DR System software on a Dell PowerEdge
R720xd appliance platform.
DR6000 System: This version consists of preinstalled DR6000 system software on a Dell PowerEdge
R720xd appliance platform. This version differs from the DR4100 by including a higher level of base
system hardware.
The Dell DR Series supports Common Internet File System (CIFS), Network File System (NFS), and RDA protocols.
The RDA protocol provides a logical disk interface for the Dell DR Series system, and enables better coordination
and integration between vRanger and the Dell DR Series system and provides for client-side deduplication of
vRanger backups.
NOTE: Dell recommends that you use the RDA protocol when using a Dell DR Series system as a repository.
For more information about the Dell DR Series systems, see the Dell DR Series System Administrator Guide.

Configuring vRanger
51
Adding a Dell DR Series system as an RDA repository

The following process describes how to add a Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository. The following procedure
assumes that:
You have a properly configured the Dell DR Series appliance that is accessible to the vRanger machine.
You created at least one storage container to be used as a Logical Storage Unit. When creating the
storage container, use the options:
Connection type: RDA
RDA type: RDS
You have designated an RDA User account.
You configured your firewall to enable the following TCP ports.
9904
9911
9915
9916
9920
NOTE: For information on setting up the preceding configurations, see your Dell DR Series documentation.
To add a Dell DR Series system as an RDA repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA).
In the Add Dell Rapid Access Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
DNS Name or IP: Enter the DNS name or IP address of the Dell DR Series system.
RDA Username: Enter a user account that can be used to log in to the device. On the Dell DR
Series system, only one user account exists, and the user ID for that account is backup_user. You
can only change the password for this account; you cannot create an account or delete the
existing account.
RDA Password: Enter the password for the user account. The default is: St0r@ge!
Logical Storage Unit: Enter the name of the storage container. Ensure that the container is
created before you add the device. You cannot add the device if the specified container does not
exist on the device. When creating the storage container, use the options:
RDA type: RDS
Port Number: Leave this value at 0 to use the default.
Click OK.
savepoints.

Configuring vRanger
52
directory.
new.
Configuring repository replication

Data Replication is configured through the My Repositories pane of the vRanger interface.
TIP: For more information on repository replication, see the Dell DR Series System Administrator Guide.
The following procedure assumes that:
You have configured at least one Dell RDA repository in vRanger.
At least one other Dell DR Series appliance with RDA is available in your environment to serve as the
replication target. You do not have to add this device to vRanger.
To configure Replication:
1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click the Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository, and select
Configure Replication.
In the Configure Replication dialog box, complete the following fields:
DNS Name or IP: The DNS name or IP address of the Dell DR Series system.
RDA Username: Enter a user account that can be used to log in to the device. On the Dell DR
Series system, only one user account exists, and the user ID for that account is backup_user. You
can only change the password for this account; you cannot create an account or delete the
existing account.
RDA Password: Enter the password for the user account.
Logical Storage Unit: Enter the name of the storage container. Ensure that the container is
created before you add the device. You cannot add the device if the specified container does not
exist on the device. When creating the storage container, use the options:
RDA type: RDS
Port Number: Leave this value at 0 to use the default.
Click OK.
The connection to the device is tested and the device is added as a repository is added to the My
Repositories pane and the Repository Information dialog box.
After replication is configured for a repository, the Configure Replication option is disabled for that repository.
IMPORTANT: After a repository is configured for replication, you must select a synchronization method
before replication occurs. For information on manual and automatic synchronization options, see
Editing a replication configuration

You may edit an existing replication configuration to update credentials or timeout values. You may also use the
Edit Repository Details dialog box to view free space for the repository.

Configuring vRanger
53
In the My Repositories pane, right-click the Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository, and select Edit
Replication Configuration.
In the Edit Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) dialog box, edit any of the following fields:
Repository Name
User Name
Password
Alternatively, view the Free Space field for up-to-date information about this repository.
If you edited any of the fields, click Update.

NOTE: For information on disabling repository replication, see Disabling repository replication.
Removing a Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository

The process for removing a Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository is the same as removing any other repository
type.
To remove a Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click the Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository, and select Remove.
When removing a repository, you have the option of keeping the savepoints on disk or deleting them. To
remove the storage unit associated with the repository, you need to remove the savepoints. If replication
is configured for this repository, you are also given the option to delete the savepoints in the replicated
repository.
Select Delete all savepoints in this repository.

To delete the savepoints in a replicated repository, select Delete all savepoints in replication
repository.
Click OK.
When the Delete Savepoints dialog box appears, click OK to delete the savepoints.
Adding a Dell DR Series system as a CIFS repository

NOTE: Adding a Dell DR Series system as a CIFS repository does not take advantage of the full function of
the DR Series system. Dell recommends adding the Dell DR Series as an RDA repository.
To add a Dell DR Series system as a CIFS repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > Windows Share (CIFS).
In the Add Windows Network Share Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
Repository Name: Enter a name for the repository.
User Name and Password: Enter the credentials for accessing the CIFS share.
Security Protocol: Select a protocol, NTLM (default) or NTLMv2.
Server: Enter the UNC path to the desired repository directory. Alternatively, you may enter a
partial path and click Browse to find the target directory.

Configuring vRanger
54
NOTE: You must enter a valid username and password before using the browse functionality.
IMPORTANT: Do not select Encrypt all backups to this repository. Using encryption or compression
with deduplicated repositories limits or disables deduplication. Encryption and compression should
not be used with any repository type that provides deduplication.
3
Click OK.
savepoints.
directory.
new.
Click Next.
Adding a Dell DR Series system as an NFS repository

NOTE: Adding a Dell DR Series system as a Network File System (NFS) repository does not take advantage
of the full function of the Dell DR Series system. Dell recommends adding the Dell DR Series as an RDA
repository.
To add a Dell DR Series system as an NFS repository:

1
In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > NFS.
In the Add Network File Share Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
Export Directory: Specify the export directory, which is similar in concept to a network share.
You must create a target subdirectory in the export directory.
Target Directory: Specify a subdirectory of the NFS export directory. This directory is the
location to which savepoints are written.
IMPORTANT: Do not select Encrypt all backups to this repository. Using encryption or compression
with deduplicated repositories limits or disables deduplication. Encryption and compression should
not be used with any repository type that provides deduplication.
Click OK.
savepoints.

Configuring vRanger
55
directory.
new.
Understanding the vRanger virtual

appliance (VA)
The vRanger VA is a small, pre-packaged Linux distribution that serves as a platform for vRanger operations
away from the vRanger server. With VAs, the workload can be spread across the other CPUs available to a host.
This feature provides increased reliability and scalability over operations.
vRanger uses the VA for the following VMware functions:
Replication to and from VMware ESXi hosts.
File-level restore (FLR) from Linux machines.
Optionally, for backups and restores.

NOTE: The VA is not designed to be used with Hyper-V machines.
The VA must be deployed to any ESXi host that you want to configure for replication either as a source or a
destination. For hosts in a cluster, you may deploy just one VA to the cluster; the VA is shared among the
clusters hosts. When deploying a VA to a cluster, you must choose a host in the cluster to which the VA should
be associated.
In addition, replication by way of a VA requires that if a VA is used on one host or cluster in a replication job, a
VA must be used on both the source and destination host or cluster. In other words, VAs, when used for
replication, must be used in pairs.
When configuring the VA, consider the amount of resources CPU and RAM allocated to the VA as the number
of simultaneous tasks the VA can process is directly tied to available resources. In addition, if you want to
perform replication tasks using a VA, carefully consider an appropriate size for the VA scratch disk. For more
information, see The VA scratch disk.
For more information about vRanger VA configuration, see the following topics:
The VA scratch disk
Deploying the VA by using the Virtual Appliance Deployment Wizard
About deploying multiple VAs
Changing the VA configuration
Configuring VA networking
Disabling Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) for the vRanger VA

Configuring vRanger
56
The VA scratch disk

If you want to perform replication tasks with your VA, you need to add a second scratch disk to the VA. This
scratch disk is used to store two types of files:
vzmap files: Block maps in the form of a vzmap file for the VMs replicated to the destination host.
This file contains block map information, and not actual data blocks. These maps are compared to the
source VM during each replication to identify the data blocks that have changed since the last
replication. The vzmap files make differential replication faster as they remove the need to scan the
destination VM blocks for comparison with the source VM.
vzUndo files: As data is sent to the destination host, by using the VA, blocks in the destination disk are
written to the undo file before they are overwritten by the changed data. If replication fails and an undo
becomes necessary, the original destination disk blocks are read from the undo file and written to the
destination disk to roll back the failed replication. This process is a key function designed to provide
resiliency in the face of a network failure; if there is a network failure during the replication pass, the
destination VM is not corrupted by incomplete data.
After the replication is complete, and all data has been received by the destination VA, the undo file is deleted.
At that point, the storage space used by the undo file is returned to the VA for use. Undo files are not created
during the first replication. During the first replication, the entire VM is sent to the destination host, but there
is no existing data on the destination VMDKs, and therefore no risk of corruption. Data is streamed directly to
the VMDK. You do not need to allocate scratch disk space for this scenario.
While the vzmap files are trivial in size, in the order of a few MB, the undo file can potentially be as large as
the VM itself. While the scratch disk needs to be configured to a size sufficient to handle the data of concurrent
replication tasks, making it too large wastes valuable storage space. Use the following sections to guide you in
determining the proper size for the scratch disk.
Strategies for sizing the scratch disk
Options for a smaller scratch disk
The scratch disk on the source host
Scratch disk location
Strategies for sizing the scratch disk

The scratch disk needs to be large enough only to hold the permanent vzmap files and the temporary vzUndo
files, plus a small margin for safety. How large that is depends almost entirely on the amount of changed data
you are replicating. The amount of changed data is itself a function of the number of VMs you are replicating,
their total disk size, replication frequency, and the data change rate per VM. It is important to understand all
this data when sizing the scratch disk.
If you are using one VA for a cluster, remember that you must account for all simultaneous replications for the
cluster.
Use historical data

If you have previously replicated the source VMs, the most accurate method to size the scratch disk properly,
without wasting storage space, is to use historical replication data. This data is available in the Replicate Task
Reports, in the vRanger My Reports view, for the applicable VMs. This report shows the amount of data written
during each replication task.
The safest method to size your scratch disk based on historical data is to record the highest amount of data
written for each VM that you replicate at one time, and size the disk to accommodate those values.
To avoid filling your scratch disk, Dell recommends that you add a small margin, 10% or so, to the calculated
scratch disk size for safety.

Configuring vRanger
57
Calculating
If you do not have information on the amount of changed data for each VM, you can estimate the appropriate
size of the scratch disk based on the VM size and the number of VMs you plan to replicate at one time.
A general rule for sizing the scratch disk is to choose a percentage of the total VM size to represent the practical
limit of changed data for a given replication. Only you can decide what is appropriate for your environment.
The following numbers are examples given to illustrate the concept:
For example, if you have four VMs that you want to replicate to a host or cluster at the same time, the minimum
requirements for the VMs are described in the following table.
Table 2. Minimum requirements
VM
VM size
Change rate
Change size
100 GB
15%
15 GB
100 GB
10%
10 GB
100 GB
20%
20 GB
60 GB
5%
3 GB
For the preceding VMs, you would need approximately 48 GB of disk space for the undo files, plus a buffer of
approximately 10%, for safetys sake. In the example, an appropriate estimate for the scratch disk size for the
preceding VMs would be approximately 55 GB.
Bear in mind that the estimate exercise should be done for every set of VMs you want replicated to that host or
cluster, with the scratch disk being sized to accommodate the largest value obtained.
CAUTION: If the scratch disk runs out of space, replication tasks fail with a FATAL cant_write cant
write vix error.
Options for a smaller scratch disk

As previously stated, the primary driver for the scratch disk size is the amount of changed data that needs to be
replicated. If you need to reduce the storage requirements for your scratch disk, you can:
Reduce the amount of time that passes between replication intervals. More frequent replications contain
smaller amounts of changed data.
Reduce the number of VMs that you replicate simultaneously. Doing so sends less data through the
scratch disk at any one time, which requires less space. Remember that the vzundo files are deleted
after the replication completes.
When provisioning the scratch disk, select the Thin Provisioning option. Thin provisioning helps prevent
wasted storage space by not allocating blocks until they are written by the VM.
The scratch disk on the source host

As the scratch disk is used primarily for staging changes before they are written to disk activity which occurs
on the destination host or cluster the scratch disk on the source side can be kept fairly small. However, in case
you need to fail over to the disaster recovery (DR) site, the replication job reverses direction and starts
replicating changes back to the product site the original source host or cluster. For this process to occur, the
scratch disk on the source side needs to be re-sized to accommodate the changed data.
Scratch disk location

When creating the second disk, make sure that you place the disk on a datastore with block sizes large enough
to support the expected VMDK. The following list shows the maximum file size available for each block size:
1 MB block size: 256 GB maximum file size

Configuring vRanger
58

NOTE: This limitation does not apply to VMFS 5.
Deploying the VA by using the Virtual Appliance

Deployment Wizard
vRanger uses a virtual appliance (VA) for replication to and from VMware ESXi hosts, for FLR from Linux
machines, and optionally for backups and restores. The VA Deployment Wizard offers a simple method to deploy
VAs one at a time. You can run the wizard for each VA that you need to deploy, or alternatively deploy multiple
VAs at once as described in About deploying multiple VAs.
NOTE: The automated deployment process requires DHCP. To deploy a VA through the Virtual Appliance
Deployment Wizard, you must have a DHCP server accessible to the VA during deployment.
To deploy the VA using the wizard, complete the following tasks:
Starting the Virtual Appliance Deployment Wizard
Selecting a VA host
Selecting VA deployment options
Configuring the VA IP address
Confirming VA deployment selections
Starting the Virtual Appliance Deployment Wizard

Complete the steps in the following procedure to start the wizard.
To start the wizard:

1
In the Tools menu, click Virtual Appliance Deployment Wizard.
In the My Inventory view, right-click the host to which the VA should be deployed, and click
Deploy Virtual Appliance.
In the Virtual Appliance Configuration node of the Configuration Options dialog box, click
Deploy Virtual Appliance.
When the Virtual Appliance Deployment Wizard appears, click Next.
Selecting a VA host
You may deploy a VA to a single host or to a cluster. When performing a backup, restore, or replication task,
vRanger first checks for a VA on the host. If no VA is associated with the host, and if the host is part of a cluster,
vRanger checks for a VA on the cluster.
To select a VA host:
1
Select Deploy VA on Cluster.
Expand the preferred cluster to select a host in the cluster to which the VA should be associated.
Select Deploy VA on specific host.
Select the host to which the VA should be deployed.

Configuring vRanger
59
Click Next.
Selecting VA deployment options

In the VA Deployment Options dialog box, you can configure the VAs name and allocated resources. Also, you
can configure the size of the VAs scratch disk. For more information, see The VA scratch disk.
To select VA deployment options:

1
In the Virtual Appliance Properties section, confirm the VA Name edit as required.
In the Virtual Appliance Option section, configure the resources allocated to the VA.
You may select one of two preconfigured options, or configure a custom setting.
Minimum Required: This setting allocates one CPU and 512 MB of RAM. This entry is sufficient for
two concurrent tasks per VA.
Dell Recommended: This setting allocates two CPUs and 1 GB of RAM. This entry is sufficient for
four concurrent tasks per VA.
Dell Recommended (with RDA repository): This setting allocates four CPUs and 2 GB of RAM.
This entry is sufficient for running tasks going to RDA repositories.
Custom Setting: Select this value to configure the VA with higher resources for five or more
concurrent tasks per VA.
In the VA Datastore field, select the datastore for the VAs primary disk.
In the Network Assignment field, select the network for the VAs primary NIC.
If you want to be able to perform replication tasks on this VA, configure a scratch disk on the VA for
more information, see The VA scratch disk.
Select Use this virtual appliance for replication and configure the scratch disk size and datastore
location. Use the information in Strategies for sizing the scratch disk to guide you.
NOTE: If you are upgrading an existing VA and want to migrate the scratch disk, do not select this
option. For more information, see the topic on upgrading the vRanger VA in the Dell vRanger
In the VA Password and Confirm password field, enter a new password for the VA. If you change
the password, this password becomes the default for subsequent VA deployments performed
during this session.
Leave the default password of vzroot1.

NOTE: You may change the password in the future as described in Changing the VA configuration.
If you want to perform FLR from backups of Linux VMs, configure a VA to use for Linux FLR.
Select Use virtual appliance for Linux File Level Restore.
If you select this option for a different VA in the future, that VA is used for Linux FLR.
Configuring the VA IP address

On the VA IP Address Configuration page, you must configure the network configuration for the VAs primary
network interface card (NIC).
To configure the VA IP address:

1
Select the method to obtain the IP address:

Configuring vRanger
60
Use DHCP for IP assignment automatically assigns IP settings to the VA if a DHCP server is
available.
Use Static IP lets you deploy the VA with a manual IP configuration.

NOTE: If you need to change your network configuration after the VA is deployed, you need to do
so from within the VA. For instructions, see Configuring VA networking.
Select your preferred method for DNS resolution.
Obtain the DNS server address automatically uses the DNS settings provided by your DHCP
server.
Use the following DNS server address lets you specify DNS settings manually.
Click Next.
Confirming VA deployment selections

Complete the steps in the following procedure to confirm the VA deployment options displayed are correct.
To confirm VA deployment selections:

1
If the configuration options are not correct, click Back to change to the information.
[Optional] Select the option to Power on the VA after deployment is complete, and then see Creating a
template.
If the configuration options are correct, click Finish.
Creating a template
Optionally, if you need to deploy the vRanger VA to multiple hosts, it may be helpful to create a VM template
from the configured VA.
To create a template:
1
From the VI Client, right-click the configured VA, select Template, and then click Clone to Template.
Enter the template name and select a location, and click Next.
Select the host or cluster on which the template is to be stored, and click Next.
Select the datastore in which the template is to be stored, and click Next.
In the Disk Format dialog box, select Same format as source, and click Next.
Review the configurations, and click Finish.
About deploying multiple VAs

The VA must be deployed to any VMware ESXi host that you want to configure for replication either as a
source or a destination. For hosts in a cluster, you may deploy the VA to just one host in the cluster; the VA is
shared among the clusters hosts.
In addition, replication by way of a VA requires that if a VA is used on one host or cluster in a replication job, a
VA must be used on both the source and destination host or cluster. In other words, VAs, when used for
replication, must be used in pairs.
For a few VAs, using the vRanger UI to deploy the VAs is sufficient. To streamline the process of deploying a high
number of VAs, Dell recommends that you deploy and configure the VA once, and save it as a template to be
used for additional deployments using the VMware vSphere PowerCLI. The Creating a template procedures
include an optional step for creating a template from the configured VA. For more information on using

Configuring vRanger
61
PowerCLI to deploy multiple VAs from a template, see Deploying Multiple vRanger Virtual Appliances with
PowerCLI on the vRanger Community site.
Changing the VA configuration

After a VA is deployed, you may change its configuration from the vRanger UI.
IMPORTANT: Reconfiguring the VA might cause it to be power cycled, possibly affecting configured jobs.
You are prompted with the jobs configured for the VA; review these entries carefully to avoid service
interruption.
To change the VA configuration:

1
In the My Inventory view, right-click the VA you want to change, and then click Virtual Appliance
Configuration.
On the Main toolbar, do the following:

a
Click Tools, and then click Options.
In the Configuration Options dialog box, select Virtual Appliance.
Under Configure Existing Virtual Appliances, select the VA to change, and then click Edit.
The Modify Virtual Appliance Configuration dialog box appears.

2
In the Virtual Appliance Properties section, do the following:

a
Next to VA Name, confirm the name of the VA.
Next to IP Address, confirm the IP vRanger uses to connect to the VA.

By default, vRanger connects to the vRanger VA using the first IP address reported by the VMware
vSphere API. This IP is displayed under Virtual Appliance Properties in the IP Address field. If you
have only one NIC configured on the VA, continue to the next step.
If you have more than one NIC configured on the VA, you may not want vRanger to connect to the
first NIC. Select Override IP Address to configure vRanger with the IP address for the NIC to
which vRanger should connect.
For example, if you have two NICs configured on the VA, and want vRanger to connect to the
second NIC, select Override IP Address to enable the IP Address field, and then enter the IP for
the second NIC in the IP Address field.
NOTE: For information about manual network configuration procedures, see Configuring VA
networking.
In the Virtual Appliance Options section, use the Select an option drop-down list to change the
resources allocated to the VA as needed.
You may select from one of the following options:
Minimum Requirement: This setting allocates one CPU and 512 MB of RAM. This entry is
sufficient for two concurrent tasks per VA.
Dell Recommended: This setting allocates two CPUs and 1 GB of RAM. This entry is sufficient for
four concurrent tasks per VA.
Custom Setting: Select this value to configure the VA with your own preferred settings; for
example, higher resources for more concurrent tasks per VA.
To change the datastore for the VAs primary disk, select the new datastore from the VA Datastore dropdown list.

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NOTE: If you are using a VMware vCenter version lower than 5.0, the ability to change the
datastore of the VA scratch disk used for replication is not available.
5
If you want to perform replication tasks on this VA, configure a scratch disk on the VA for more
information, see The VA scratch disk.
Select Use this virtual appliance for replication and configure the scratch disk size using the up-anddown arrows and the drop-down list. For more information about sizing a scratch disk, see Strategies for
sizing the scratch disk.
[Optional] Enter a new password for the VA in the VA Password field, and then re-enter it in the Confirm
password field.
If you want to perform FLR from backups of Linux VMs, select Use virtual appliance for Linux File
Level Restore to configure a VA to use for Linux FLR.
If you select this option for a different VA in the future, that VA is used for Linux FLR.
Configuring VA networking
If you have deployed one or more VAs using a static IP configuration, and you need to change that configuration
after deployment, you must do so from within the VA.
To configure VA networking, complete the following tasks:
Logging in to the VA
Changing the hostname
Changing the network configuration
Configuring DNS
Logging in to the VA
Complete the steps in the following procedure to log in to the VA.
To log in to the VA:

1
From your VI Client, find the VA, and power it on.
Using the console, log in as root to the VA, using the following default credentials:
Username: root
Password: vzroot1
If you supplied your own password during the VA deployment, use that password.
Changing the hostname

Complete the steps in the following procedure to change hostname.
To change the hostname:

1
Log in to the VA.
Using the VI text editor, edit the network configuration file:

vi /etc/sysconfig/network
Change the hostname to the new value, and save the file.
Restart the VM by typing reboot at the prompt.

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Changing the network configuration

Optionally, you can complete the steps in the following procedure to change the network configuration.
To change the network configuration:

1
Log in to the VA.
Using the VI text editor, edit the configuration file for eth0:
vi /etc/sysconfig/ifconfig.eth0
Edit the configuration file as needed.

The following text is shown as an example:
ONBOOT=yes
SERVICE=ipv4-static
IFACE=eth0
IP=<static IP of VA>
GATEWAY=<IP of gateway>
PREFIX=<this entry is the subnet mask your values may differ>
BROADCAST=<your broadcast IP the highest IP in the VAs subnet.>
Save the file.
Restart the VM by typing reboot at the prompt.
Configuring DNS
Depending on your environment, you might have to configure the VA with DNS nameserver information. The
steps to change an existing configuration are the same.
To configure DNS:
1
Log in to the VA.
Using the VI text editor, edit the resolv.conf file:

vi /etc/resolv.conf
Enter the following text, substituting the appropriate values where indicated:
search <domain1> <domain2> <domain3>
nameserver <IP address>
nameserver <IP address>
Save the file.
Restart the VA by typing reboot at the prompt.
Disabling Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)

for the vRanger VA
If the vRanger appliance is configured on hosts that are part of a DRS-enabled cluster, the VAs might be migrated
to a different host due to DRS and high-availability (HA) activity. This change causes replication failures as the
VA is no longer in the expected location as configured in vRanger. To prevent this disruption, it is important to
disable DRS for the vRanger VAs.
To disable DRS for the vRanger VA:

1
In your VI client, find the cluster or clusters that contain the vRanger VAs.
Right-click the cluster, and select Edit Settings.

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In the Cluster Settings dialog box, select Virtual Machine Options.
Search for or find the vRanger VAs. Right-click each VA, and select manual.

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4
Using vRanger
vRanger user interface (UI) overview
My Inventory view
My Jobs view
My Repositories view
My Reports view
vRanger user interface (UI) overview

The vRanger UI consists of four views: My Inventory, My Repositories, My Jobs, and My Reports. Each view
features the Main toolbar and each panes toolbar.
In the left pane within these views, data appears nested in a tree structure. In general, the information that
appears in the right pane depends on the node that you select in the left pane. Each node has a distinct icon,
making navigation easy and hierarchy clear.
For instructions on using the Startup Wizard to configure the software for your environment, see Configuring
vRanger through the Startup Wizard.

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Main toolbar
View toolbar
Views
Status bar

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Main toolbar
The Main toolbar appears at the top of the vRanger UI and includes the drop-down menus described in the
following table.
File
Tools
Help
The only submenu available under File is Exit. Click it to close the application.
Catalog Search: Use this form to search and browse for savepoints that contain the
files and folders you are looking for. Restore operations can be started from the items
in the results pane.
Startup Wizard: Select this command to start the Startup Wizard, through which you
can add a VC, host, repository; license a host; set up a mail server; and add email
addresses.
Options: When you select this command, the Configuration Options dialog box
appears. It contains information in these categories: General, Virtual Appliance
Configuration, Licensing, and My Jobs.
Help Contents: Select this command to view online help.
License Information: The License File dialog box includes the total number of
licensed CPUs, the total number of days that the license covers, and the number of
days remaining under the current license. From this dialog box, you can import a
license file.
About vRanger Backup & Replication: Click this option to view version number,
copyright information, a link to the website, and licensing terms. Also access the
System Information dialog box, which includes hardware resources, components,
software environment, and internet settings. The dialog box features a window and
submenus that let you view remote computers and system history.
The About vRanger screen includes a System Info button that collects information
about the vRanger machine. You may export this information to a text to aid
interactions with Dell Support.
Status Bar
In every view, several icons display in the Status Bar at the bottom of the vRanger UI. Regardless of the view
displayed, the Status Bar always gives you a glimpse of active job and task count. Using the example from the
following table, the Active Jobs Count (4) corresponds to the first number in the My Jobs: Current Jobs node.
The Active Tasks Count (2) corresponds to the second number at the same node level. That is, these counts
display in this format in My Jobs: Current Jobs (4,2).
Service Support Logging: Right-click this icon to enable log files to help in troubleshooting
Windows vRanger service.
Client Support Logging: Right-click this icon to enable log files to help in troubleshooting the
vRanger UI.
Active Jobs Count: This indicator tells you the total number of active backup, restore, and
replication jobs running in real time.
Active Tasks Count: This indicator tells you the total number of active backup, restore, and
replication tasks running in real time.
New Failed Jobs: Indicates that there are new failed jobs.
When you click the New Failed Jobs icon, this action resets the data in the Status Bar. In place of
the new failed jobs icon, this icon appears and the active job and task counts are reset, populating
with zeroes (0) initially.

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My Inventory view
The My Inventory view displays the virtual infrastructure, configured jobs, and job details. It consists of the My
Inventory pane on the left and the Working Inventory pane on the right. This view is the one from which most
backup and replication jobs are added.
Inventory toolbar
My Inventory pane
Working Inventory pane
My Inventory pane
The My Inventory pane offers four tabs one to show the infrastructure of VMware VMs, one to show the
inventory of Hyper-V VMs, one for physical servers, and one to show the inventory of VMware vCloud Director
servers.
From this pane, you can navigate and refresh the tree; add or remove connections to VCs or VMware ESXi
servers; and add credentials to virtual servers. You can also add a backup or replication job.
My Inventory pane toolbar and icons

The toolbar is located under the Main toolbar File, Tools, Help. Options on this toolbar are enabled or disabled
based on which object is selected.
Add: Click this command to add a backup or replication job.
Cancel: To cancel a job that is running, click this command.
Edit: Click this icon to open the appropriate wizard and make updates to the configuration for the
job.
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Disable: When you click this command, the job that is selected in the Working Inventory pane is
disabled. A pause icon appears next to the listing.
Enable: When a disabled job is selected in the Working Inventory pane, click this command to
enable the job. A run icon appears next to the listing.
Remove: When you click to select a job or savepoint in the Working Inventory pane and then click
this icon, the job is removed.
Run: Click this command to run the job that is selected. This option reloads the window and displays
the job in My Jobs: Current Jobs.
The following icons appear in the My Inventory pane, and are enabled based on which tab you are viewing, and
what you select in the My Inventory and Working Inventory panes.
Add: The action this command triggers depends on the node that you have selected in the My
Inventory pane.
VMware tab: Click to add a VMware vCenter, VMware ESXi host, or backup group.
Hyper-V tab: Click to add a Hyper-V System Center VMM, failover cluster, host, or backup
group.
Physical tab: Click to add a physical machine or backup group.
vCloud tab: Click to add a VMware vCloud Director server.
Properties: When a VC is selected, click Properties to view the credentials used to connect to it.
Remove: This command is available to delete any object that has been added to the view.
NOTE: If you remove an ESXi host, all login and backup information is deleted. If there is a job
scheduled to use this host, the job fails.
Refresh: Click this icon to refresh the My Inventory pane. Initially, only the highest-level node
appears (VC). A Loading Inventory message appears while the pane refreshes.
Inventory: Click one of these icons to display the Hosts and Clusters or Virtual Machines and
Templates view.
NOTE: This option applies only to the VMware tab.
Expand All: This option expands the tree view. After refreshing the pane, click this icon to reload
the tree structure under the VC node.
Collapse All: Click this icon to collapse the tree view so that only the VC node appears in the pane.
Search: Click this icon to display the Search Inventory field and find a specific item in the selected
inventory pane.

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VMware inventory tab

The VMware tab offers two views, depending on which value you select from the Inventory drop-down menu
Hosts and Clusters or Virtual Machines and Templates.
Hosts and clusters

When the Hosts and Clusters inventory option of the VMware tab is selected, the following icons appear in the
inventory list, depending on the tab selected.
Folder: Click this icon to expand the view.
Resource Pool: Click this icon to expand the view.
VirtualCenter: Right-click this icon to access these commands:
Add Credential
Credential Properties
Remove VirtualCenter
Backup VirtualCenter
Restore
View History
Refresh Inventory
ESX(i) Cluster: Right-click this icon to access these commands:
Add Credential
Remove Credentials
Backup
Restore
View History
Refresh History
ESX(i) Host not credentialed: Right-click this icon to access these commands:
Add Credentials
Remove Credentials
Backup
Restore
Configure Change Tracking choose any or all VMs in host
View History
Refresh Inventory

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ESX(i) Host (Credentialed): Right-click the icon to access these commands:
Add Credentials
Remove Credentials
Backup
Restore
Configure Change Tracking choose any or all VMs in host
View History
Refresh Inventory
ESX(i) Host Add: Click this icon to add a VMware ESXi host.
ESX(i) Host Disconnected Right click this icon to connect to the host.
ESX(i) Host Error: Right-click this icon to determine the error.
ESX(i) Host Maintenance Mode: Indicates that the host is in maintenance mode, and might not be
available.
Hosts and Clusters
vApp: VMware vSphere vApp(s) can include any applications running on any operating system, and
provide a mechanism for customers to move their applications between internal clouds or external
clouds with still the same service levels.
Change Block Tracking: This icon indicates that a job has Changed Block Tracking (CBT) enabled.
Click the icon to disable.
Virtual Machine Powered Off: Right-click this icon to access a menu of the following commands:
Add Host Credentials
Remove Credentials
Backup <machine name>
Replicate <machine name>
Enable Change Tracking
View History
Refresh Inventory

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Virtual Machine Powered On: Right-click this icon to access a menu of the following commands:
Remove Credentials
Configure VSS Tools
View History
Refresh Inventory
Virtual Machine Suspended (Paused): Right-click this icon to access a menu of the following
commands:
Remove Credentials
View History
Refresh Inventory
Virtual Machines and Templates Inventory view

When the Virtual Machines and Templates Inventory option is selected, the following icons appear in the
inventory list.
VirtualCenter: Right-click at this node level to access these commands:
Add Credential
Remove VirtualCenter
Backup VirtualCenter
Restore
View History
Refresh Inventory
Virtual Center Add: Click this icon to add a vCenter.

Virtual Machine: Right-click the node to access these commands:
Add Credential
Remove Credentials
Backup
Restore
Replication
Enable (Disable) Change Tracking
View History
Refresh Inventory
Virtual Machine Folder: Click this icon to display the VMs in this folder.
Virtual Machine Folder Open: Clicking this icon collapses the view and closes the folder.

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Virtual Machine Powered Off: Right-click this icon to access a menu of the following
commands:
Remove Credentials
View History
Refresh Inventory
Virtual Machine Powered On: Right-click this icon to access a menu of the following
commands:
Remove Credentials
Configure VSS Tools
View History
Refresh Inventory
Restore Virtual Machine: Clicking this icon starts a restore job for this VM.
Virtual Service: Click this icon to expand the list of services.
Backup Job: Right-click the node to access these commands:
Add Credential
Remove Credentials
Backup
Restore
Replicate
View History
Refresh Inventory
Running Virtual Machine: Right-click the node to access these commands:
Add Credential
Remove Credentials
Backup
Restore
Replicate
View History
Refresh Inventory
Backup Virtual Machine: Right-click the preferred VM, and click this icon to start a backup
job for this VM.
Replicate Virtual Machine: Right-click the preferred VM, and click this icon to start a
replication job for this VM.
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Change Block Tracking: This icon indicates that a job has CBT enabled. Left click the icon to
disable.
Connected: This icon shows that the node is connected.
Connecting: This icon indicates that a node is in the process or connecting.
Credentialed: This icon indicates that VM or Host is Credentialed.
Data Center: Selecting this icon expands the data center and displays all objects in it.
Disconnected: This icon indicates that the Node is disconnected.
Error: This icon indicates that an error has occurred, or that more data is required.
Hierarchy: This icon indicates the organization of the inventory displayed.
Inventory Tree Wait: This icon is displayed while vRanger searches for all the components in
the inventory.
Credentialed/Licensed: This icon shows that the VM or host is licensed.
Invalid Licensed Credentials: This icon shows that the credentials are invalid.
Resource: This icon indicates the presence of a resource in the inventory.
Save: Clicking this icon saves any changes made.
Server: This icon indicates a server in the inventory.
Virtual Machine Template: copy and paste this template as needed to reproduce VMs.
vApp: VMware vSphere vApp(s) can include any applications running on any operating
system, and provide a mechanism for customers to move their applications between internal
clouds or external clouds with still the same service levels.
BackupReplication License: Indicates that the VC is licensed for both backup and
replication.
Backup or Replication License: Indicates that the VC is licensed for either backup or
replication.

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Hyper-V inventory tab

When the Hyper-V tab is selected, the following icons are used to indicate the type and status of Hyper-V
items.
Hyper-V Cluster: Right-click this icon to access the following commands:
Remove From Inventory
Reinstall Host Agent
Uninstall Host Agent
View History
NOTE: Uninstalling or reinstalling the host agent from a cluster node respectively removes or adds
the agents to all nodes under that cluster.
Hyper-V Host: Right-click this icon to access the following commands:
Reinstall Host Agent
View History
Hyper-V Host Warning: This icon indicates that agent present on the host is not compatible with the
version of vRanger in use.
Virtual Machine Powered Off: Right-click this icon to access the following commands:
View History
Backup [machine name]
VM Powered On: Right-click this icon to access the following commands:
View History
Physical inventory tab

From the Physical tab, you can add or modify a physical server, or create a backup group consisting of multiple
physical servers.
Physical Machine: Right-click this icon to access a menu of the following commands:
Install (Reinstall) Host Agent
View History
Refresh Inventory
Physical Machine Warning: This icon indicates that agent present on the physical machine is not
compatible with the version of vRanger in use.
Physical Machine Disconnected: This icon indicates that vRanger cannot communicate with the
physical machine. Reasons for the lack of communication include but are not limited to: the
machine is powered off, the agent is not installed on the machine, there is a network error, and so
on.

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Working Inventory pane

The Working Inventory pane lists any configured jobs for the node selected in the Inventory pane.
The data presented here including Type, Name, and Schedule can be sorted by dragging a column heading.
When you click, an arrow is displayed in the column heading, indicating the sort order ascending or
descending. Click the column heading again to change the sort order. The same data can be grouped by dragging
a column heading to the target area above all the headings. Taking this step groups current jobs by that data
type.
If you click to select a job in the Working Inventory pane and then click the Run icon, the job is moved to the My
Jobs: Scheduled Jobs. From this location, you can start the job. After the backup has been completed, it is
moved to My Jobs: Recent Jobs.
My Jobs view
The My Jobs view consists of the My Jobs pane on the left, the Activity pane on the upper right, and the Job
Detail pane on the lower right. Use this view to add, run, schedule, disable, or cancel a backup job. From this
view you must have either the Scheduled Jobs or On Demand Jobs node in the My Jobs pane selected to add
a job.
My Jobs pane
Activity pane
Job Detail pane
A job can be made up of many tasks. Even if some of its tasks fail, the job itself can complete successfully. In
this view, you can also confirm configuration settings for a job. My Jobs makes monitoring jobs and tasks easy.
Use the Job Detail pane to track job progress. To view task progress, see the Task Detail area. Use the tool to
view job history and check status.
My Jobs pane
The My Jobs pane displays task and job information for each of the following statuses: Current; Recent;
Scheduled; On Demand; and Disabled. For Current and Recent jobs, associated tasks are listed in separate
categories. In these nodes, jobs and tasks are distinguished in this format x, y where x is the number of jobs
and y refers to the number of tasks that make up the job. The numbers in the Current Jobs node corresponds to
the values in the Status Bars Active Jobs Count and Active Tasks Count areas, respectively.

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My Jobs pane toolbar and icons

Add: Click this command to add a backup, restore, or replication job.
Remove: Use this icon to delete a job selected in the Activity pane.
Edit: With a job selected, click this icon to access the Backup Wizard, Restore Wizard, or
Replication Wizard.
Enable: When a disabled job is selected in the Working Inventory pane, click this command to
enable the job. A run icon appears next to the listing.
Disable: When you click this command, the job that is selected in the Working Inventory pane is
disabled. A pause icon appears next to the listing.
Run: Click this command to run the job that is selected. This option reloads the window and displays
the job in My Jobs: Current Jobs.
Cancel: To cancel a job that is running, click this command.
Current Jobs: Click this icon to display Current Jobs. Two levels can be displayed:
Running Tasks
Queued Tasks
Running Tasks: Indicates the number of active tasks associated with current jobs.
Queued Tasks: For all current jobs, this number indicates the number of tasks waiting to run.
Recent Jobs: This node lists the number of recent jobs and tasks, respectively, that have been run.
The format (x, y) is used, indicating x recent jobs and y recent tasks. Selecting this node also
displays the Recent Job Filters section, where you can set up specific search criteria. For more
information, see Filtering job searches.
Scheduled Jobs: When this node is selected, the Activity pane is divided into two tabs: List View
and Calendar View. The items listed on both views are those jobs and tasks that have been
scheduled to run. The Job Template Detail area features configuration options selected for each
job.
On Demand Jobs: These jobs are configured to run at any time; that is, they are not scheduled. The
Job Template Detail area features configuration settings for each job.
Disabled Jobs: Listed here are jobs that have been configured, have been scheduled, and might
have been run, but are currently disabled. From this view, any disabled job can be enabled.
Filtering job searches

The Recent Job Filters section contains several subsections that you can use to filter the jobs that are
displayed in the Recent Jobs pane.
To filter a job search:

1
In the My Jobs pane, click Recent Jobs.
In the Search Options section, select the applicable options:
Rows/Page: Enter the number of rows to display on each page in the Recent Jobs pane.
Order By: Indicate whether the list should sort by Start Date, End Date, Job Name, or Job
Status. Also indicate whether to display the list in an Ascending or Descending order.
Save as default search: If you want to save the preceding search criteria as your default, select
the check box.

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In the Job Filter section, select the applicable options:
Job Type: Select All Jobs, Backup Jobs, Replication Jobs, Restore Jobs, or Repository
Replication.
Job Status: Select All, Succeeded, Failed, Aborted, or Canceled.
Date Range or Days in the past: To specify a range of dates, set a date in Start Time and End
Time. To specify a specific number of days instead, enter a number in the box.
In the Job Task Filter section, select the applicable options:
Task Status: Select All, Succeeded, Failed, Aborted, or Canceled.
Repository: Select All or select a specific repository.
Host: Select All or select a specific host.
Machine name: To view the tasks for a specific system, enter the name of the machine.
Click Search.
The information displayed in the Recent Jobs pane updates to reflect your selections. You can select any
item in the list and view additional information about the job or task on the Detail and Log tabs in the
Job Detail pane.
Activity pane
The data that appears in the Activity pane depends on the category that you select in the My Jobs pane. You can
expand a job listing to display data on tasks associated with that job. For the Recent Jobs, On Demand Jobs, and
Disabled Jobs, the Activity pane features data organized in these categories:
Name: Displays the name of the job.
Type: Refers to job type.
Source: Indicates the host or cluster in which the source server resides.
Destination: For backup jobs, this category indicates the repository selected in the backup job. For
restore and replication jobs, this category indicates the target host or server.
Status: Lists the status of the backup or restore job or task: Completed, Failed, Aborted, or None.
Start Time: Lists when the job or task was initiated.
Duration: Indicates length of time that the job or task took to complete.
Message: Displays more information about a task or job. For example, Host is not licensed or Please
check host credentials.
If you select the Current Jobs node, all the preceding categories display in the Activity pane. In addition, data
for the following categories is included: Throughput and Progress.
In the vRanger UI, you can clearly distinguish the running job (parent) and the running task (child). To view
details for either job or task, click to select the object. Either the Job Detail or Task Detail area appears at the
bottom of the Activity pane.
You can sort the columns in the Activity pane by clicking them. When you click, an arrow displays in the column
heading, indicating the sort order ascending or descending. Click the column heading again to change the sort
order.
If you select any sub-category under the Recent Jobs node and then right-click a job or task in the Activity pane,
a Go To menu appears. The available commands list depends on the activities previously associated with that
job or task. For example:
Go To Repository Savepoint
Go To Scheduled Activity
Go To Disabled Activity
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If you select a category under Current Jobs, Scheduled Jobs, or On Demand Jobs and then right-click a job or
task in the Activity pane, the following navigation options display:
Go To Inventory View
Find Previous Jobs
Go To Current Jobs
For Scheduled Jobs, the Activity pane features two tabbed areas: List View and Calendar View. List View
displays scheduled jobs by data type: Name, Type, Source, Destination, Enabled, and Next Run. The Calendar
View offers monthly, weekly, daily options for viewing scheduled jobs. Below this area, the Job Template Detail
area features basic configuration information about the job selected in the List View.
Click the node in the My Jobs pane to display Job and Results areas in the Activity pane. After the results
display, you can click to select any entry and additional information about the job appears in the Job Template
Detail area below the results, which you can save.
Type
Task Status
Repository
Job Type
VM Name
Job Status
Historic
On Demand
Scheduled
Disabled
All
Success
Failed
Aborted
Canceled
The values included here depend on the repositories that were added previously.
All
Backup
Restore
Replication
To search by VM name, populate this field.
All
Success
Failed
Aborted
Canceled
To Date
The default is (none). When you click the drop-down list, a calendar view appears.
Host or VC
The default is (All). This list is populated with the hosts and VCs that were added previously.
Job Detail area

The Job Detail area contains job configuration data and the progress and status of currently running jobs and
tasks. This area features two tabs: Detail and Log. For example, if you select Recent Jobs in the My Jobs pane,
the Job Detail area displays this type of data in the Detail tab. The data in the corresponding Log tab indicates
which VMs or servers were retrieved, which disks were skipped, and which tasks were completed. It also
indicates that the job was saved.

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My Repositories view
This view displays the configured repositories and available savepoints. This view is the one from which most
restore jobs are configured. It consists of the My Repositories pane on the left and the Working Repository pane
on the right.
Repository toolbar
My Repositories pane
Working Repository pane
My Repositories pane
This pane displays the configured repositories in a tree structure, grouped by repository type. Repositories can
be added and removed through the pane toolbar.
My Repositories pane toolbar and icons

Catalog: After selecting a repository, click this icon to search or browse for a specific savepoint.
NOTE: Cataloging must have been enabled at the time the backup job ran.
File Level Restore: When you want to restore an individual file from a savepoint, click this icon to
access the File Level Restore dialog box.
FLR From Manifest: When you want to restore an individual file from the Manifest, click this icon.
Restore: When you click to select a backup job or savepoint in the Working Repository pane, click
this icon to open the Restore Wizard.
Remove: To delete a savepoint that is selected in the Working Repository pane, click this
command.
Add: Use this command to add either a CIFS or SFTP repository.

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Properties: This icon is the gateway to the connection information and repository credentials used
to connect to the share. You can update credentials at any time.
Remove: Click this icon to open the Repository Removal Confirmation dialog box. Before removing
a repository, confirm that it is not needed to store current jobs.
Working Repository pane

The Working Repository pane shows the configured repositories and the savepoints stored there. The data
displayed in this pane can be grouped and sorted using the icons in the Group By drop-down list. The data in this
pane is organized under these columns:
Repository Name
VM Name
Host Name
Type Full, Differential, Incremental
Start Time
Original Size (MB)
Stored Size (MB)
Grouping
There are two methods for grouping savepoints. You can select an option from the Group By toolbar, or you can
create customized groupings using the GroupBox command.
Repositories & Machines: Groups the savepoints first by repository, and then by VM.
Repositories: Groups the savepoints by repository.
VMs: Groups the savepoints by VM.
Physical Machines: Groups the savepoints by physical machine.
Savepoints: Groups the savepoints first by repository, then by VM, and then by root
savepoint ID.
Hosts: Groups the savepoints by host.
Date Range: This drop-down list lets you select a date range for the jobs listed in the
Working Repository pane. The values include:
All
Last Day
Last 3 Days
Last Week
Last 2 Weeks
Last Month
Last 3 Months
Custom
Define Custom
If you select Define Custom, the Savepoints Date vRanger dialog box appears. Use it to
set a date range for the jobs you want to view.

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Sorting
The columns in the Working Repository pane can be re-ordered by dragging a heading and clicking the column.
When you click, an arrow is displayed in the column heading, indicating the sort order ascending or
descending. Click the column heading again to change the sort order.
My Reports view
From the My Reports view you can create and manage reports and email them. The My Reports view is made up
of three areas: My Reports on the left, which lists all reports for backups and restores; Working Reports on the
right, which displays the report itself; and the Report Template Detail area on the lower right.
My Reports toolbar
Working Reports pane
My Reports pane
My Reports toolbar
The toolbar is located under the Main toolbar File, Tools, Help. The options on this menu are only enabled if a
report is showing in the Working Reports pane, and act only on that report.
My Reports pane
This area features several nodes in a tree structure: Backup Job Summary Report, Backup Task Report, Replicate
Job Summary Report, Replicate Task Report, Restore Job Summary Report, and Restore Task Report. Under each
of these nodes, all reports that you create and save are nested by type. At the top of the pane, there is a menu
bar and toolbar. Within the pane itself, backup and restore reports are designated different icons.
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Print: Use this icon to print the report displayed in the Working Reports pane.
Print Preview: Use this icon to review the report before printing it.
Page Setup: Use this icon to adjust the report before printing it.
Save: Use this icon to save your report as a PDF or Excel file.
Refresh: Use this icon to refresh the selected report.
Close: Use this icon to close the selected report.
The Reports pane includes nodes for the following types of reports:
Backup Job Summary
Backup Task Summary
Backup Task
Replicate Job Summary
Replicate Task
Restore Job Summary
Restore Task
You can also create a report or work with existing reports through the Reports pane toolbar icons. For more
information, see Reports.
Reports pane toolbar

Add: Use this icon to start the process of creating a backup or restore report. This icon lets you add
any of the six reports types using the Restore Wizard:
Backup Job Summary Report
Backup Task Report
Replicate Job Summary Report
Replicate Task Summary Report
Restore Job Summary Report
Restore Task Report
When you first open the My Reports view, this icon is the only one that is enabled.
Edit: Click this icon to open the Report Wizard and change the selected reports configuration.
Enabled only when a job is selected in My Jobs.
Remove: Click this icon to delete the selected report. Enabled only when a job is selected in My
Jobs.
Run: Click this icon to run the selected report. Enabled only when a job is selected in My Jobs.
Working Reports pane

In this pane, report listings display. The name of the report is at the top of the pane. The format of the text that
is displayed depends on the options you select in the Report Wizard when you create the report. For example, if
you add color or pagination to the report, those settings appear in this pane.

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5
Backup
Backup overview
Reviewing backup transport options
Determining application consistency
Understanding retention policies and space-saving technologies
Performing optional configurations
Configuring a backup job
Backup overview
vRanger offers two types of backups: virtual and physical. Each type is described in the following sections.
Where information relates to only one type of backup, that restriction is noted in the section title or as a note
in the text.
Virtual machine (VM) backup
Physical machine backup
Virtual machine (VM) backup

vRanger protects two varieties of VMs:
VMware
Hyper-V
For more information on the different types of virtual backups, see the following sections:
Protecting VMware VMs
Protecting Hyper-V VMs
Protecting VMware VMs

When protecting a VMware virtual environment, vRanger uses VMware snapshot technology to store incoming
write requests temporarily while the source VMs are being backed up. After a VMware backup completes, the
snapshot is deleted, which commits those pending writes to disk. vRanger can back up a VMware VM that
already has an open snapshot and can back up the open snapshot, but any secondary consolidated helper
snapshots are closed prior to running the backup.
With Inventory Node Selection, you can browse the VMware vCenter or VMware vCloud Director inventory
and select which VMs, groups, or VMware vSphere vApp(s) you want to protect. You can select a VM, folder,
resource pool, vApps, VMware ESXi host, data center, or vCenter, and back up all the VMs located under that
node in the tree.

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When you protect a VMware environment, vRanger records data regarding the setup. This data includes whether
the VM resides on a DRS-enabled cluster, if there are storage policies involved, and the datastore
configuration network-attached storage (NAS), storage-area network (SAN), VMware Virtual Machine File
System (VMFS), or Virtual Volumes (VVols). When you perform a restore or replication, vRanger uses the default
settings from the original configuration but provides the option of changing these settings. For example, you
can restore a backup from a non-VVol datastore to a VVol datastore, or you can restore a backup from a
datastore that is governed by one storage policy to a datastore that is governed by a different policy, or no
policy.
IMPORTANT: vRanger cannot back up physical raw device map (RDM) partitions. You should see the
warning: Incompatible drive detected.
Protecting VMware vApps

VMware vSphere vApp(s) are containers similar to a resource pool that help you manage and control
resources for the VMs contained within. vApps are used to group the individual components of a multi-tier
application properly, allowing for application-level resource control and portability. When protecting vApps,
vRanger backs up both the VMs and the vApp metadata to maintain the vApp settings and structure upon
restore.
Protecting Hyper-V VMs

When protecting a Hyper-V host, the vRanger Hyper-V Agent is installed on the host. The vRanger Hyper-V
Agent works with the VSS writer present on all Hyper-V hosts to back up every VM on the host and send the
backups directly to the repository. If the host is on the same network as the repository location, such as a SAN,
the client can perform LAN-free backups.
IMPORTANT: Backing up a Hyper-V VM using a VSS writer requires a minimum of 300 MB free space on the
volume being backed up. If there is less than 300 MB of available space on the volume, the backup job
fails with an error message.
Physical machine backup

For backing up physical machines, vRanger uses a physical backup client, similar to the one used for protecting
Hyper-V VMs, to perform backup and communication operations. The client can be installed when the source
server is added to the vRanger inventory, or installed manually to comply with change control requirements.
After it is installed, the physical client does the following:
Communicates with the vRanger server.
Gathers information on the source server configuration.
Manages and runs the vRanger backup tools and operations.
Manages vRanger VSS snapshot activity on the source server.
Transmits backup data directly to the repository.
vRanger physical backups are performed using the direct-to-target architecture. Depending on how the source
server is connected to the repository, this process can result in network backups or LAN-free backups. For
backups to be LAN-free, the source server and repository must exist on the same SAN.
IMPORTANT: Physical backups are only supported on Windows machines matching the list of supported
operating systems. For more information, see the Dell vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.

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Reviewing backup transport options

vRanger offers different data transport options for backup tasks.
NOTE: The backup transport method describes only how data is read from the source server, not how the
data is sent to the repository.
VMware backup transport options
Hyper-V backup transport options
Physical backup transport options
Transport selection order: VM backup
VMware backup transport options

When configuring a backup job, vRanger automatically chooses the fastest option available, but you can also
override this selection by configuring a custom transport selection. vRanger chooses from the following
transport options, based on your configuration.
HotAdd
SAN backups
LAN
HotAdd
vRanger includes support for the VMware HotAdd disk transport functionality, which permits LAN-free backups
from a VM.
vRanger can use HotAdd for two backup methods:
VA-based HotAdd: Mounts the source VMs disk to the vRanger virtual appliance (VA) deployed on the
source host or cluster. This method lets vRanger have direct access to the VM data through the VMware
I/O stack rather than the network.
Machine based HotAdd: If vRanger is installed in a VM, this method mounts the source VMs disk to the
vRanger VM. This method lets vRanger have direct access to the VM data through the VMware I/O stack
rather than the network. With this method, the backup processing activity occurs on the vRanger server.
To use vRanger with HotAdd, the VM either the vRanger VA or the vRanger VM must be able to access the
target VMs datastores. In addition, all hosts to which the vRanger VM or VA could be vMotioned using VMware
vSphere vMotion must be able to see the storage for all VMs that vRanger is configured to back up.
NOTE: When using HotAdd, plan on one concurrent backup per CPU core. To calculate the maximum
number of concurrent backup tasks per proxy server, simply identify the number of CPU cores on that
server that is the maximum number of concurrent backups. For example, a Dual-Socket, Quad-Core
system can perform up to eight concurrent backup jobs.
Configuring vRanger for HotAdd

When using HotAdd, make sure to disable Automount on the vRanger machine. This step prevents Windows on
the vRanger VM from assigning a drive letter to the target VMDK.
To disable Automount:
1
Click Start > Run, and enter diskpart.
Run the automount disable command to disable automatic drive letter assignment.

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Run the automount scrub command to clean any registry entries pertaining to previously mounted
volumes.
HotAdd limitations
The use of HotAdd for backups is subject to the following limitations:
VMFS Block Size: To use HotAdd, the VMFS containing the source VM and the VMFS containing the
vRanger VM must use the same block size. For example, if you back up a virtual disk on a datastore with
1 MB blocks, the proxy must also be on a datastore with 1 MB blocks. For more information, see the
VMware VDDK 1.2.1 Release Notes at http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vddk/VDDK-1.2.1Relnotes.html#knownissues.
HotAdd and the vRanger VM: You cannot use HotAdd to back up the vRanger VM. This issue might result
in the vRanger volume being removed from the VM along with the source VMDK. For more information,
see the VMware VDDK 1.2.1 Release Notes at http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vddk/VDDK1.2.1-Relnotes.html#knownissues.
IDE disks are not supported.
Mixed mode clusters are not supported for HotAdd. For example, a VM on a VMware ESXi 6.0 host
cannot HotAdd a disk from an ESXi 5.1 host.
For information on HotAdd best practices and limitations, see VMware KB article 1035096.
SAN backups
To perform SAN backups, vRanger must be installed on a physical system attached to your fibre or iSCSI
network. In addition, the volumes containing the servers to protect must also be properly zoned and mapped to
the vRanger proxy server.
Configuring vRanger for SAN backups

With vRanger installed on a physical proxy server, the following configurations must be made:
Disable automount on the vRanger machine:

Click Start > Run, and then enter diskpart.
Run the automount disable command to disable automatic drive letter assignment.
Verify that the SAN policy is set to Online All by typing san and hitting Enter.
If it is not, set it to online all by typing san policy=onlineAll.
Run the automount scrub command to clean any registry entries pertaining to previously mounted
volumes.
On your storage device, zone your LUNs so that the vRanger HBA or iSCSI initiator can see and read them.
Only one proxy should see a set of LUNs at one time. For backups only, The proxy server should only have
read-only access to the LUNs. To perform LAN-free restores, ensure that the vRanger server has Read +
Write access to any zoned LUNs to which you want to restore.
LAN
If no LAN-free option is available, backups can be processed over the network. LAN backups are supported in all
configurations and require no additional set-up to work, but are generally the slowest option. Network backups
can be processed one of two ways, depending on the source host configuration.
VA-based LAN: Transfers the source VMs data from the source disk to the vRanger virtual appliance (VA)
over the network. With this method, the backup processing activity occurs on the VA.
Machine-based LAN: If there is no vRanger VA deployed, vRanger transfers the source VMs data from the
source disk to the vRanger server over the network. With this method, the backup processing activity
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occurs on the vRanger server. For VMware ESXi servers, data is sent by way of the VMware VDDK
transport.
NOTE: Generally speaking, network backups and restores are slower than LAN-free backups and restores.
If your environment supports LAN-free backups, use that option whenever possible.
Transport selection order: VM backup

When backing up VMs or other virtual objects hosts, clusters, and so on the vRanger Backup Wizard includes
an Automatic option which lets vRanger select the best available method for your configuration. When
determining the best transport, vRanger uses two key criteria:
Whether VAs are deployed.
Where vRanger is installed.
The logic used to select a transport differs slightly based on whether vRanger is installed in a VM or on a
physical server. The following sections describe the steps taken to select an automatic transport.
vRanger: installed on a VM
vRanger: installed on a physical machine
vRanger: installed on a VM
When installed on a VM, vRanger checks the possible transports in the following order, selecting the first option
available to ensure the best performance possible.
1
VA on source host: vRanger first checks the source host for a VA. If available, that VA is used.
Is VA-based HotAdd available?: vRanger checks the local VA for HotAdd support. If the host is not
properly licensed, or the VA cannot access the storage for the source VM, HotAdd is not available.
IMPORTANT: If a VA is configured and HotAdd is not available, a network backup is performed from
the VA. No further transport checks are performed.
VA on source cluster: If the source host does not have a VA, vRanger determines whether the host is a
member of a cluster, If so, vRanger checks for a shared VA on that cluster.
Is VA-based HotAdd available?: vRanger checks the cluster VA for HotAdd support. If the host is not
properly licensed, or the VA cannot access the storage for the source VM, HotAdd is not available.
Machine-based HotAdd: If there is no VA configured, vRanger determines whether HotAdd is available

for the vRanger VM. If the vRanger VM is on a host which is not properly licensed, or if the VM cannot
access the storage for the source VM, HotAdd is not available.
Machine-based LAN: If a VA is not available, and HotAdd is not supported on the vRanger VM, a network
backup is performed from the vRanger machine.
vRanger: installed on a physical machine

When installed on a physical machine, vRanger checks the possible transports in the following order, selecting
the first option available. The preferred transports are checked first, ensuring the best performance possible.
1
VA on source host: vRanger first checks the source host for a VA. If available, that VA is used.
Is HotAdd available?: vRanger checks the local VA for HotAdd support. If the host is not properly
licensed, or the VA cannot access the storage for the source VM, HotAdd is not available.

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2
VA on source cluster: If the source host does not have a VA, vRanger determines whether the host is a
member of a cluster, If so, vRanger checks for a shared VA on that cluster.
Is HotAdd available?: vRanger checks the cluster VA for HotAdd support. If the host is not properly
licensed, or the VA cannot access the storage for the source VM, HotAdd is not available.
Machine-based SAN: If there is no VA configured, vRanger determines whether the vRanger server is
configured for SAN backups.
Machine-based LAN: If a VA is not available, and SAN backups are not supported on the vRanger server, a
network backup is performed from the vRanger machine.
Hyper-V backup transport options

When backing up Hyper-V VMs, backup activity is processed by the vRanger Hyper-V Agent on the Hyper-V
host. Backup data is read by the agent and sent from the source server directly to the repository.
When performing backups of Hyper-V VMs, or backup groups containing Hyper-V VMs, the Transport Selection
portion of the Backup Wizard is not shown, as there is only one available option.
Physical backup transport options

vRanger transports describe only how data is read from the source server, not how the data is sent to the
repository. When backing up physical servers, the vRanger client reads the data directly from the disk and sends
data from the source server to the repository. Depending on how the source server is connected to the
repository, this process can result in network backups or LAN-free backups. For backups to be LAN-free, the
source server and repository must exist on the same SAN.
When performing backups of physical servers, or backup groups containing physical servers, the Transport
Selection portion of the Backup Wizard is not shown, as there is only one available option.
Determining application consistency

The levels of, and methods for providing, application consistency differ between VM backups and backups of
physical servers. For more information, see the following sections:
Application consistency for virtual backups
Application consistency for physical backups
Application consistency for virtual backups

vRanger provides various levels of protection for VMs. The means that each level uses to accomplish its task
depends on the type of VM being protected.
Application consistency for VMware VMs
Application consistency for Hyper-V VMs

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Application consistency for VMware VMs

By default, vRanger does not provide quiescing during backups. When you enable the Enable Guest Quiescing
option, quiescing in vRanger is provided by leveraging the VMware Tools installed in the VM.
This feature can provide three different levels of backup consistency:
Crash consistent: A crash-consistent backup is analogous to pulling the plug on a server and then backing
up the data. The state of the data that is being backed up with respect to the users of the data is
indeterminate. Restoring a crash-consistent image is equivalent to rebooting a server after a hard shutdown.
File-system consistent: File-system consistency is achieved through standard quiescing by using the
VMware Sync Driver, which ensures that no file-system writes are pending when the snapshot is taken.
For normal VMs, file-system consistency is adequate, although it can cause corruption in database
applications.
Application consistent: Consistency of VSS-compatible applications is achieved by freezing application

I/Os prior to creating the VM snapshots. This option ensures that all application writes requests in the
machines memory are committed to disk before the snapshot is taken.
The level of consistency provided by the Enable Guest Quiescing option depends on the version of VMware
ESXi and the corresponding VMware Tools and the guest operating system. The following table provides
more detail on what is needed to achieve various levels of consistency:
Table 3. Achieving consistency
File-level quiescing
VMware ESXi version
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server
2008/2008 R2
Windows Server 2012
ESXi 5.0
VMware VSS
VMware VSS
VMware VSS
ESXi 5.1
VMware VSS
VMware VSS
VMware VSS
ESXi 5.5
VMware VSS
VMware VSS
VMware VSS
ESXi 6.0
VMware VSS
VMware VSS
VMware VSS
ESXi version
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server
2008/2008 R2
Windows Server 2012
ESXi 5.0
VMware VSS
vzShadow.exe
vzShadow.exe
ESXi 5.1
VMware VSS
vzShadow.exe
vzShadow.exe
ESXi 5.5
VMware VSS
vzShadow.exe
vzShadow.exe
ESXi 6.0
VMware VSS
vzShadow.exe
vzShadow.exe
Application-level quiescing
As shown in the preceding table, application consistency is not always available with the basic quiescing
options. In these situations, you may use the vRanger VSS Tools vzShadow.exe for application-level
consistency.
Application consistency for Hyper-V VMs

vRanger can provide two levels of consistency for Hyper-V VM backups: file-system consistency and application
consistency.
Crash consistent: A crash-consistent backup is analogous to pulling the plug on a server and then backing
up the data. The state of the data that is being backed up with respect to the users of the data is
indeterminate. Restoring a crash-consistent image is equivalent to rebooting a server after a hard shutdown.
Application consistent: vRanger engages the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS) to put
supported applications into a consistent state during a backup. This option ensures that all application
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writes requests in the machines memory are committed to disk before the snapshot is taken, which
means that the application and data can be reliably recovered from the backup archive.
To achieve either type of application consistency, you must comply with the following requirements:
The guest must be operating a Windows operating system.
The guest operating system must have Hyper-V Integration Services installed.
The vRanger agent installed on the Hyper-V host uses the VSS native to the Windows operating system to
support the truncation of any supported application transaction logs. Log truncation automatically frees space
in the logical log for the transaction log to reuse.
IMPORTANT: Backing up a Hyper-V VM using a VSS writer requires a minimum of 300 MB free space on the
volume being backed up. If there is less than 300 MB of available space on the volume, the backup job
fails with an error message.
NOTE: For more information on Hyper-V backups and VSS, see https://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/dd405549(v=vs.85).aspx.
Application consistency for physical backups

vRanger can provide two levels of consistency for physical backups: crash consistent and application
consistency.
File-system consistent: File-system consistency is achieved without any additional tools or

configurations. File-system consistency ensures that no file system writes were lost during the backup
process.
Application consistent: vRanger engages the Microsoft VSS to put supported applications into a
consistent state during a backup. This option ensures that all application writes requests in the machines
memory are committed to disk before the snapshot is taken, which means that the application and data
can be reliably recovered from the backup archive.
For physical backups, vRanger also supports through VSS the truncation of any supported application
transaction logs when the VSS snapshot is creating. Log truncation automatically frees space in the logical log
for reuse by the transaction log.
Understanding retention policies and

space-saving technologies
vRanger retention policies define the minimum number of restorable savepoints to keep in a repository for a
backup job. The number of savepoints retained depends on the type of backups being performed full,
differential, or incremental and where in the full-differential or full-incremental cycle the retention check is
being performed.
NOTE: vRanger does not retire an expired savepoint if that savepoint is required to restore a differential
or incremental savepoint still within the retention period.
A key concept in discussing retention policies is the notion of a backup set. A backup set is several savepoints
that are grouped for two reasons: The first is to implement the retention policy; and the second is to maintain
the parent-child relationships that exist when you choose to use differential or incremental backups. The
backup set for each type of backup is different.
Full backups: Each savepoint is a complete backup set. Deleting a savepoint has no bearing on the
recoverability of any other full savepoint.

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Incremental backups: Incremental backup jobs backup only the blocks that have changed since the last
backup full or incremental. Restoring an incremental savepoint requires the parent full and every
incremental between the full and the selected incremental.
Differential backups: A differential backup contains the data that has changed since the last full
backup. Each differential backup includes the contents of the previous differential, which in retention
terms means that only the parent full and the most recent differential are required for a restore.
Full backups
A backup job consisting only of full backups is the simplest case for retention policy configuration. Each
savepoint is independent of the other savepoints, and can be retired without affecting any other savepoints. In
other words, a backup set for full backups is equal to one savepoint only one savepoint is required for a
restore.
The following scenario depicts a daily full backup job, with a Savepoint Count of 7:
Day 1: A full backup is taken.
Day 8: A full backup is taken. The savepoint from Day 1 is removed.
Day 9: A full backup is taken. The savepoint from Day 2 is removed.
Incremental backups
Incremental backup jobs back up only the blocks that have changed since the last backup whether it was full
or incremental. Restoring an incremental savepoint requires the parent full and every incremental between the
full and the selected incremental.
The following scenario depicts a daily incremental backup job, with a Savepoint Count of 7 and a Threshold
Count of 6:
Table 4. Incremental backup retention example
Day
Action
A full backup is taken.
An incremental backup is taken.
10
11
12
13

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Table 4. Incremental backup retention example

Day
Action
14
An incremental backup is taken. All savepoints from Day 1 to Day 7 are removed.
15
Differential backups
Differential savepoints require the parent full backup and the selected differential savepoint to restore. Each
differential backup includes the contents of the previous differential, which means, in terms of retention, that
only the parent full and the most recent differential are required for a restore.
The following scenario depicts a daily differential backup job, with a Savepoint Count of 7, a Threshold Count of
6, and a Threshold Size of 50%:
Table 5. Differential backup retention example
Day
Action
A differential backup is taken.
A full backup is taken. The differential savepoint from Day 2 is removed.
A differential backup is taken. The differential savepoint from Day 3 is removed.
10
11
12
13
14
A differential backup is taken. The differential savepoint from Day 7 and the full savepoint
from Day 1 are removed.
Performing optional configurations

Before you set up a backup job, you may want to make the following optional vRanger configurations:
Enabling or disabling VMware Changed Block Tracking (CBT)
Adding a custom backup group
Configuring VSS tools for VMware VMs
Enabling or disabling VMware Changed Block

Tracking (CBT)
VMware CBT reduces the time needed for incremental and differential backups by only backing up the portions
of a disk that have changed since the last backup. By determining which blocks changed within the VMDK file,
vRanger only backs up the portions of a disk that have changed since the last backup. This often results in
shorter backup operations, and reduced resource consumption on network and storage elements.
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VMware vSphere supports CBT, and most VMs running in this environment can use it. The VMs must be
Hardware Version 7 or later, and have been created and hosted in VMware ESXi 5.0 or later hosts. VMs that
are created in VMware ESX 4 or earlier must be migrated to Hardware Version 7 or later for CBT to be
supported. CBT must be enabled for each VM with which CBT is to be used.
NOTE: VMs that have not yet been powered on cannot have CBT enabled. You must have powered on the
VM for the CBT option to be available.
To enable or disable CBT:
In the My Inventory view, right-click the VM for which want to change the CBT setting, and then select
one of the following options:
Enable Tracking
Disable Tracking
The Tracking Icon
appears next to any VM on which CBT is enabled.
Adding a custom backup group

This feature lets you organize physical servers, Hyper-V servers, or VMware vCenter objects VMs, hosts,
and folders into groups, which lets you create a backup job for only the selected nodes. This feature provides
additional flexibility for creating backup jobs.
IMPORTANT: A backup group must contain only physical objects, only Hyper-V objects, or only VMware
objects. You cannot combine VMware, Hyper-V, and physical objects into a single backup group.
To add a custom backup group:

1
In the My Inventory view, select the VMware, Hyper-V, or Physical tab.
Click the Add Icon, and select Backup Group.
Expand the Backup Group panel in the Inventory pane. Right-click an empty spot, select Add,
and then click Backup Group.
Enter a name for the Backup Group, and click to select the nodes to include in the group.
Click Add.
Your new backup group is listed in the Backup Groups pane.
You can edit or remove a group by right-clicking it and selecting Edit or Remove.
Configuring VSS tools for VMware VMs

VSS Tools are only available for VMware VMs and do not apply to Hyper-V VMs or physical machines.
There are two ways to configure VSS Tools: automatically and manually. The following sections describe the
procedures for the two available methods of configuring VSS Tools with vRanger.
Configuring VSS tools using the automated method
Configuring VSS tools using the manual method

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Configuring VSS tools using the automated method

In addition to the standard quiescing implementation using VMware Tools, vRanger provides an optional
method for application quiescing on VMware VMs. This optional method uses a small executable tool
vzShadow.exe deployed to the source VM and is enabled by VMware Tools during quiescing. The vRanger VSS
Tools must be deployed to each VM for which you need application-consistent backups. For more information,
see Application consistency for virtual backups.
NOTE: This method is available only for powered-on VMs running Windows Server 2008 or later. For VMs
running older Windows operating systems, install vzShadow.exe manually, as described in Configuring VSS
tools using the manual method.
To configure VSS tools using the automated method:

1
When viewing the My Inventory View, right-click the preferred VM, and select Configure VSS Tools.
When the Configure VSS Tools dialog box appears, enter the name and password for an account with
administrative privileges on the VM, and click Next.
If the selected VM has more than one disk, the available disks are shown in the Disk for VSS snapshot
section.
Select the disks to quiesce.
If preferred, select Perform application log truncation.
Click Configure, and click Next.

vRanger performs the following actions:
Creates the C:\Program Files\Dell\vRanger\VSS directory, and populate the directory with the
vzShadow executable and supporting files.
Creates the C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\backupscripts.d directory, and creates a

freeze.bat file in that directory that contains the appropriate contents based on your selections.
Removing VSS tools

To remove the vRanger VSS Tools and batch file from the source VM, complete the steps in the following
procedure.
To remove VSS tools:

1
When viewing the My Inventory View, right-click the preferred VM, and select Configure VSS Tools.
When the Configure VSS Tools dialog box appears, enter the name and password for an account with
administrative privileges on the VM, and click Next.
Click Remove.
The files are removed from the VM, but the directories remain.
Configuring VSS tools using the manual method

For Windows Server 2003 VMs, the vRanger VSS Tools must be manually deployed to the target VM, using the
following procedures.
NOTE: vzShadow.exe works with VMware Tools. VMware Tools must be installed and running on the VM
when using vzShadow.exe.
To configure VSS tools using the manual method:

1
On the vRanger machine, browse to the Client\VSS\VSSfor2k3 subdirectory in the vRanger installation
location.

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The default is C:\Program Files\Dell\vRanger\Client\VSS\VSSfor2k3.

2
In this directory, find the appropriate C++ Redistributable package and vzShadow.exe for the bit level of
the source VM the one you want to back up.
For 64-bit (x64) machines, choose:
vcredist_x64.exe (Microsoft C++ Redistributable)
vzshadow_x64.exe
For 32-bit (x86) machines, choose:
vcredist_x86.exe
vzshadow_x86.exe
On the source VM, start the vesicatories file to install the C++ Redistributable.
Depending on your system, move the appropriate file to the machines root directory typically the C:\
directory.
For 64-bit operating system, copy vzshadow_x64.exe.
For 32-bit operating system, copy vzshadow_x86.exe.
Create a directory on the VM: C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\backupscripts.d\
In this directory, create a batch file called freeze.bat.

The following shows a sample batch file:
c:\vzshadow.exe x:
where x equals the drive that hosts the application if there are multiple volumes on this VM, list all
volumes, separated by colon and space (: ), as in:
c:\vzshadow.exe c: d: e:
When using vRanger with Dell Recovery Manager for Exchange 5.1 or later, use the following text for your batch
file. This text creates an XML file that Recovery Manager for Exchange uses to identify vRanger savepoints with
Exchange databases.
c:\vzshadow_64.exe -bc=x:\backup.xml x:
c:\vzshadow_86.exe -bc=x:\backup.xml x:
where X equals the drive that hosts the Exchange Server; if there are multiple volumes on this VM, list all
volumes, separated by colon and a space (: ), as in:
c:\vzshadow_x86.exe -bc=c:\backup.xml c: d: e:
When VSS is triggered by VMware tools, the pre-freeze script runs vzShadow.exe.
Configuring a backup job

vRanger uses a wizard to guide you through the process of creating a backup job. Each page of the wizard is
explained in more detail in the sections that follow.
To configure a backup job, complete the following tasks:
Selecting an inventory node
Excluding VMs
Including hard disks of physical machines or VMs
Selecting a repository
Selecting a backup data transport method for VMware machines
Configuring backup options

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Selecting a Retention Policy
Setting the recurrence schedule
Configuring email notifications
Starting the backup job
Selecting an inventory node

The first step to creating a vRanger backup job is to select the inventory node physical server, VMware
vCenter, host, backup group, and so on that you want to back up. After selecting the node, you may start the
Backup Wizard as described in the following procedures.
You may also create a custom grouping consisting of multiple physical servers or of existing objects from
multiple hosts or vCenters. For more information, see Adding a custom backup group. Backup groups are
treated the same as any other inventory node when it comes to creating backup jobs.
IMPORTANT: A backup group must contain only physical objects, only Hyper-V objects, or only VMware
objects. You cannot combine VMware, Hyper-V, and physical objects into a single backup group.
To select an inventory node, complete one of the following procedures:
Selecting a node in the My Inventory view
Selecting a node in the My Jobs view

NOTE: If you want to back up more than one node, you need to first create a custom backup group. For
more information, see Adding a custom backup group.
Selecting a node in the My Inventory view

When working in the My Inventory view, starting the Backup Wizard creates a job to back up the selected
inventory node or backup group. If a node s not selected, the Add icon on the toolbar is disabled.
To select a node in the My Inventory view:

1
In the My Inventory view, click the appropriate tab, VMware, Hyper-V, Physical, or vCloud, and then
select the preferred node to select the object or backup group.
NOTE: When viewing the vCloud inventory, the only inventory object that can be selected for
backup is a vApp.
Right-click the selected node and select Backup <object name>.
With the preferred inventory node selected, click the Add drop-down menu, and then click
Backup Job.
The Backup Wizard starts.

3
In the Job Name field, enter a name for the backup job.
[Optional] In the Job Description field, enter a description for the backup job.
Click Next.

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Selecting a node in the My Jobs view

You may also start the Backup Wizard from the Scheduled Jobs, On Demand Jobs, and Disabled Jobs node of the
My Jobs view. As there should be no inventory object selected, the process is slightly different than when using
the My Inventory View.
To select a node in the My Jobs view:

1
In the My Jobs view, click one of the following nodes to enable the Add drop-down menu:
Scheduled Jobs
On Demand Jobs
Disabled Jobs
NOTE: The node you select has no bearing on the status of the created job. For example, selecting
the Disabled Jobs node does not cause the job to be created in a disabled state.
Click the Add drop-down menu, and then click Backup Job.
On the Inventory Node Selection page, click the VMware, Hyper-V, Physical, or vCloud tab.
Select the node you want to back up.

TIP: To back up a custom backup group, expand the Backup Groups pane, and then select the
group of nodes displayed.
In the Job Name field, enter a name for the backup job.
[Optional] In the Job Description field, enter a description for the backup job.
Click Next.
Excluding VMs
If you selected a node that includes multiple servers such as a backup group or host and multiple VMs, the
next page in the Backup Wizard is the Virtual Machine Exclusion page. This page is followed by the Hard Disk
Inclusion page. If you selected a single VM or are backing up physical servers, you see only the Hard Disk
Inclusion page.
This page of the wizard only appears if you created a job for a node that includes multiple VMs, such as a host
or backup group. On this page, you can select individual VMs to exclude from the backup job. For example, if
you want to back up all but two of the VMs on a host, you can configure the backup job for the host node. You
then use this page to select the two VMs you do not want to include in the job.
To exclude VMs:
1
In the Exclude column on the left, select the VMs you want to exclude from the backup job.
Click Next.
On the Virtual Machine Hard Disk Inclusion page, only the VMs included in the backup job appear in the
Current Virtual Machines pane.
Including hard disks of physical machines or VMs

The Hard Disk Inclusion page follows the Virtual Machine Exclusion page. If you selected a single VM or are
backing up physical servers, you see only the Hard Disk Inclusion page.
The Machine Hard Disk Inclusion page creates a rule for vRanger to use when determining which disks to back
up.

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When you create a backup job for one server, the rule tells vRanger which disks to back up for that server. When
you create a job for multiple servers, however, the rule determines which disks are backed up for every server.
When protecting a VM, the Current Virtual Machines pane lists the servers included in the backup job, based on
your selections in the Excluding VMs procedure. The Include Hard Disks pane represents the maximum number
of disks configured for any server in the job. For example, if you have a backup job with multiple single-disk
servers and one server with six disks, the Include Hard Disks column shows six entries. Selecting Hard Disk 1
through Hard Disk 6 tells vRanger to back up every disk for each server.
If, in the preceding example, the six-disk server receives an extra disk, that disk is not going to be backed up,
because only six disks are included in the rule. To allow for future growth, the Show all disk possibilities option
lets you select all potential disks; selecting this option ensures that any disk added to a server in the future is
included in the backup job.
To include hard disks of physical or VMs:

1
In the Include Hard Disks pane, select the disks that vRanger should include in the rule it applies to each
server.
When including hard disks for VMs, the selection is not server-specific. It is global for all VM servers in
this backup job. When including hard disks for physical machines, you can clear selected disks for the
backup group. However, you cannot clear Disk 1 for the group.
[Optional] If you want to allow for additional disks in the future, select Show all disk possibilities, and
select additional disks.
Click Next.
Selecting a repository
On the Repository Selection page of the wizard, you can select the repository to which the job should send the
backup data. You can also add a repository from this page. For more information, see Adding a repository.
vRanger supports the following repository options for storing backup archives:
Windows Share (CIFS)
SFTP
FTP
NFS
NetVault SmartDisk (NVSD): The Dell disk-based data-deduplication option which reduces storage costs
with byte-level, variable-block-based software deduplication. For more information on NetVault
SmartDisk, see http://software.dell.com/products/netvault-smartdisk/ or the Dell vRanger Integration
Guide for Dell NetVault SmartDisk.
EMC Data Domain Boost (DDB): Integrating EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) with vRanger is
achieved by adding a Data Domain appliance running DD Boost to vRanger as a repository. Backups
written to that repository are deduplicated according to your configuration. For more information on
EMC Data Domain Boost, see http://www.emc.com/data-protection/data-domain/data-domainboost.htm or the Dell vRanger Integration Guide for EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost).
Dell Rapid Data Access (RDA): Provided by the Dell DR Series appliances purpose-built, disk backup
appliances that use Dell deduplication technology to improve backup and recovery processes. For more
information on Dell DR Series appliances, see http://software.dell.com/products/dr-series-disk-backupappliances/ or the Dell vRanger Integration Guide for Dell DR Series Disk Backup Appliance.
NOTE: Dell RDA and EMC DDB repositories support repository replication. Only one repository can be
configured per backup job. For more information on configuring repository replication, see Managing
repository replication.

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To select a repository:
1
In the Repositories pane, select the repository you want to use for this backup job.
If you want to add a repository, see Adding a repository for more information.
NOTE: When using Dell RDA or EMC DD Boost repositories, you may configure the repository to
replicate savepoints to another like device. For more information, see Managing repository
replication.
Click Next.
Selecting a backup data transport method for

VMware machines
In vRanger, the transport determines how backup data is sent, and where the backup processing activity occurs;
for more information, see VMware backup transport options. When configuring a backup job for a VMware VM,
the Backup Wizard, by default, uses the Automatic Transport Selection option to select the best transport
method at run-time automatically; you can also configure the transport manually by using the Using Custom
transport selection option.
NOTE: The Transport Selection page is not available when backing up a physical machine or Hyper-V
virtual server. Because only one transport method is available for Hyper-V and physical servers, the
Transport Selection page of the Backup Wizard does not display.
To select a backup data transport method for VMware machines, complete one of the following procedures:
Using Automatic transport selection
Using Custom transport selection

The Backup Wizard includes an Automatic transport selection option, which lets vRanger select the best
available method for your configuration. When determining the best transport, vRanger uses two key criteria:
Whether virtual appliances (VAs) are deployed.
The logic used to select a transport differs slightly based on whether vRanger is installed on a VM or on a
physical server. For more information about the order in which vRanger checks for transport availability, see
Transport selection order: VM backup.
To use the Automatic Transport selection:

1
On the Transport Selection page, select Automatic transport selection.

The selected transport method appears at the bottom of the page.
IMPORTANT: Each time the job runs, vRanger detects your configuration and selects the best
transport method available at run-time. That method might not always be what is shown on the
page during the job setup.
vRanger verifies whether any VAs are configured on the source host. If the host belongs to a cluster, and
no host VA is found, vRanger searches for shared VAs on the cluster as well.
If no VA is detected, click Configure Virtual Appliance to add a VA to vRanger. For more information
about configuring the VA, see Understanding the vRanger virtual appliance (VA).
Click Next.

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The Custom transport selection option lets you specify both where the actual backup processing activity
occurs) and which transport to use. For more information, see VMware backup transport options.
To use the Custom Transport selection:

1
On the Transport Selection page, select Custom transport selection.

This option enables the custom settings.
Select where you want the job to occur from the following options:
On this vRanger machine.
On a vRanger VA.
NOTE: Using the vRanger VA is recommended for scalability and performance.
3
Select which transports the job should attempt from the following options:
Advanced [SAN / HotAdd]
LAN
For more information, see VMware backup transport options.

4
[Optional] If you want your LAN backups to be encrypted, select Use SSL encryption while transferring
files over the LAN connection when available.
CAUTION: This option causes reduced performance.
Click Next.
Configuring backup options

The Backup Options page lets you configure additional operations performed during the backup job. The options
available depend on the server, or inventory, type you want to back up.
To configure backup options:

1
On the Backup Options page, select your preferences from the options described in the following table.
Option
Description
Inventory type
Backup powered on
machines only.
If this flag is selected, vRanger checks the status of the

VM before it begins a backup. If the VM is not running, it
might not have changed significantly since the last
backup, making another backup redundant.
VMware
Hyper-V
Check destination for

free space.
This option prompts vRanger to check the destination

location to ensure that there is enough space available
for the backup file to be written. Because it is not
possible to determine how much space is saved by
compression, vRanger generates an error if the free
space at the destination is less than the combined size
of the files belonging to the source server.
VMware
Hyper-V
Physical

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Option
Description
Inventory type
Compress backed up
files.
This option prompts vRanger to compress the archive.
VMware
NOTE: The following repositories do not support

compression: Dell NetVault SmartDisk, EMC Data
Domain (DD Boost), and Dell RDA.
Hyper-V
Physical
Update notes with latest If this flag is selected, vRanger updates the VM Notes in
backup results.
VMware vCenter with the most recent backup status.
vRanger maintains the existing VM notes in vCenter,
appending the backup status to the end.
VMware
Enable guest quiescing.
This option enables the VMware Tools when creating a

backup. Use this flag if you are backing up a database
server. During this process, vRanger freezes or pauses
writes on supported applications to provide a consistent
image of VSS-enabled databases. For more information,
see Application consistency for virtual backups.
VMware
Enable VSS Applicationlevel quiescing
This option engages the Microsoft VSS to put supported

applications into a consistent state during a backup.
Physical
Physical
Selecting this option enables ABM, which lets vRanger

skip zeroed out blocks and junk data.
VMware
Hyper-V
NOTE: With this option enabled, deleted data on the

source server is not backed up.
Physical
VMware
Hyper-V
Physical
NOTE: This option is only presented for physical

backups. For backups of VMware and Hyper-V VMs,
selecting Enable guest quiescing enables VSS
application quiescing if supported by the Guest OS and
application.
Enable VSS log
truncation
This option uses the Microsoft VSS to initiate the

truncation of any supported application transaction logs
upon a successful backup.
NOTE: This option is only presented for physical
backups. For backups of VMware and Hyper-V VMs,
selecting Enable guest quiescing enables VSS log
truncation if supported by the Guest OS and application.
Enable Active Block

Mapping (ABM)
The following ABM settings options are also available:
Do not include the Windows page file.
Do not include the Windows hibernation file.
NOTE: In vRanger 6.1, page files were not backed up by

default. In vRanger 7, the page files are backed up by
default. If you are upgrading to vRanger 7 from version
6.1, page files are backed up unless you edit each job
and explicitly select the option to skip page files.
Enable Cataloging
Cataloging lets you browse, search, and restore file

level content in a backup image. For more information,
see Enabling cataloging options.
Click Next.

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Selecting a Retention Policy

The Retention Policy Selection page lets you configure the type of backup to perform full, incremental, or
differential and the minimum number of savepoints to keep for each VM. For more information about
retention policies, see Understanding retention policies and space-saving technologies.
IMPORTANT: For backup jobs configured to use a replicated repository, the chosen retention policy is
applied to both the source and target repositories. For more information, see Managing repository
replication.
vRanger offers three methods of backing up data while reducing the storage footprint and network load of VM
backups.
To create a backup job, complete one of the following procedures:
Creating a full backup job
Creating an incremental backup job
Creating a differential backup job
Creating a full backup job

For full backups, vRanger performs a full scan and copy of the source VM. Full backup jobs can be modified with
the following operations:
Active Block Mapping (ABM): ABM scans the disks on a VM and detects the blocks actively used by the
disk, as opposed to blocks that were deleted by the Windows operating system. With ABM enabled,
vRanger only backs up that part of a virtual disk that has active data on it. ABM also provides the
following settings options:

NOTE: In vRanger 6.1, page files and hibernation files were not backed up by default. In vRanger 7,
page and hibernation files are backed up by default. If you are upgrading to vRanger 7 from version
6.1, page files are backed up unless you edit each job and explicitly select the option to skip the
page file or hibernation file, or both.
ABM does not back up deleted data. If a VM backed up using ABM is restored, undelete operations
are not possible.
To create a full backup job:

1
On the Retention Policy Selection page, use the up and down arrows to select your Savepoint Count
the default is 7.
In the Space Saving Technology section, select None.
Click Next.
Creating an incremental backup job

For incremental backups, vRanger performs a full scan of the source VM, but copy only blocks that have changed
since the last backup.
Incremental backups are typically the fastest backup option and consume less storage space per archive. It is
important to note, however, that to restore from an incremental backup, each incremental archive between the
full backup and the preferred restore point must be available. When creating incremental backup schedules,
use caution to minimize the risk introduced by long incremental chains.
Restoring an incremental backup can take longer than restoring a full or differential backup, because each
previous incremental archive needs to be restored as well.
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Incremental backups can be modified with the following operations:
vRanger only backs up the part of a virtual disk that has active data on it. ABM also provides the

NOTE: In vRanger 6.1, page files and hibernation files were not backed up by default. In
vRanger 7, page and hibernation files are backed up by default. If you are upgrading to
vRanger 7 from version 6.1, page files are backed up unless you edit each job and explicitly
select the option to skip the page file or hibernation file, or both.
CAUTION: ABM does not back up deleted data. If a VM backed up using ABM is restored, undelete
operations are not possible.
Changed Block Tracking (CBT): CBT reduces the time needed for incremental and differential backups
by only backing up the portions of a disk that have changed since the last backup. By determining which
blocks changed within the VMDK file, vRanger only backs up the portions of a disk that have changed
since the last backup. This often results in shorter durations for backup operations, and reduced
resource consumption on network and storage elements.
NOTE: CBT does copy deleted blocks if ABM is not also enabled. CBT is a VMware feature, and
does not apply to physical machine or Hyper-V VM backup.
For more information about selecting the ABM and CBT operations, see Configuring backup options.
To create an incremental backup job:

1
On the Retention Policy Selection page, select your Savepoint Count the default is 7.
In the Space Saving Technology section, select Incremental.

The Options section appears.
Configure your incremental options by selecting one the following:
Threshold Count: This option defines the number of incremental backups to perform before a
full backup is done.
Use the up and down arrows to select a threshold count the default is 6.
Full Backup Days: Select the day or days on which you want vRanger to take a full backup of the
server.
NOTE: To run full backups only on the selected days, the Threshold Count must be set to a
value of 8 or higher. A threshold count of 7 or less causes a full backup to run seven days
from the date the job is scheduled, even if that day is not a selected day.
Click Next.
Creating a differential backup job

For differential backups, vRanger performs a full scan of the source VM, but copies only blocks that have
changed since the last Full backup.
Differential backups are typically slower than incrementals and can consume more storage space. They are
faster to restore, however, and require only one differential backup and the parent full backup to restore.
Differential backups can be modified with the following operations:

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vRanger only backs up the part of a virtual disk that has active data on it. ABM also provides the

NOTE: In vRanger 6.1, page files and hibernation files were not backed up by default. In vRanger 7,
page and hibernation files are backed up by default. If you are upgrading to vRanger 7 from version
6.1, page files are backed up unless you edit each job and explicitly select the option to skip the
page file or hibernation file, or both.
CAUTION: ABM does not back up deleted data. If a VM backed up using ABM is restored, undelete
operations are not possible.
Changed Block Tracking (CBT): CBT reduces the time needed for incremental and differential backups
by only backing up the portions of a disk that have changed since the last backup. By determining which
blocks changed within the VMDK file, vRanger only backs up the portions of a disk that have changed
since the last backup. This often results in shorter durations for backup operations, and reduced
resource consumption on network and storage elements.
NOTE: CBT copies deleted blocks if ABM is not also enabled. CBT is a VMware feature, and does
not apply to physical machine or Hyper-V VM backup.
For more information about selecting the ABM and CBT operations, see Configuring backup options.
To create a differential backup job:

1
On the Retention Policy Selection page, select your Savepoint Count the default is 7.
In the Space Saving Technology section, select Differential.

The Options section appears.
Configure your incremental options by selecting one the following:
Threshold Count: This option defines the number of incremental backups to perform before a
full backup is done.
Use the up and down arrows to select a threshold count the value is 6.
Full Backup Days: Select the day or days on which you want vRanger to take a full backup of the
server.
NOTE: To run full backups only on the selected days, the Threshold Count must be set to a
value of 8 or higher. A threshold count of 7 or less causes a full backup to run seven days
from the date the job is scheduled, even if that day is not a selected day.
The Threshold Size refers to the percentage of the hard disk of a VM that must be captured in
differential backups before performing a full backup. Using the Threshold Size value might cause
your full backups to be taken on unexpected days.
NOTE: The Threshold Size setting is still applied if one or more Full Backup Days are set. To
prevent the Threshold Size setting from triggering an unwanted full backup, set the
Threshold Size to 100 or higher.
Click Next.

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The Recurrence Schedule Selection page lets you indicate whether the job should be done on demand at this
moment or at a future time. To schedule a future occurrence, you must define the start time, recurrence
pattern, and range of recurrence.
NOTE: When using the Full Backup Days option, ensure that the selected recurrence schedule causes
backup tasks to run on the configured Full Backup Days.
To set the recurrence schedule:

1
On the Recurrence Schedule Selection page, select from the options described in the following table.
This will be an on There is no need to define a schedule. The job runs on demand.
demand job
Start Time
The time of day at which to run the job.

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Recurrence
Pattern
In this section, you establish how often the report should be generated. There are
five options within this section:
Daily: The daily option can be scheduled to run the report every weekday or
Weekly: vRanger can be configured to run on weekly intervals, from every

week to every 99 weeks. The day of the week on which to run reports can be
configured.

x can be any value from 1 to 31. This value determines the day of the
month on which the job occurs.
y can be any value from 1 to 99. This value determines the monthly
interval for example, every two months sets the job to run every
other month.

d can be: weekday, weekend day, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
interval for example, every two months sets the report to run every
other month.
Every [m] [x]:

m is any month of the year. This value determines the month of the
year in which the report occurs.
month on which the report occurs.
The [f] [d] of [m]:

d can be: day, weekday, weekend day, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
Interval: The interval option lets you select the number of days, hours, and
minutes that should pass between backup jobs.
NOTE: The interval selected must be greater than or equal to five minutes.
Range of
Recurrence
Select the starting date and ending date:
No end date: The job recurs until it is stopped.
End after: Select the number of occurrences.
End by: Select the date by which to end the recurrence.
Click Next.

The Email Notification Selection page lets you select the email addresses to which notifications should be sent
for this job. You can also request that a report be sent to the recipients identified after the job is complete.
To add or edit email addresses, see Setting up the SMTP server.
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To configure email notifications:

1
On the Email Notification Selection page, in the Selected column, select the address to which
notifications should be sent.
TIP: To select all email addresses, select the check box in the Selected column header.
Click Next.
Starting the backup job

The final page in the Backup Wizard displays a summary of the selections you made for the job.
To start the backup job:

1
On the Summary page, review the data displayed in the tree view.
If you want to automatically begin the job immediately after completing the wizard, select Run the Job
after Finish is clicked.
NOTE: If this option is not selected, the job is saved and begins at the time determined during the
Setting the Recurrence Schedule procedure.
Click Finish.
If you did not opt to begin the job automatically after clicking Finish, and this job is an on-demand job,
do the following:
NOTE: If this job is not an on-demand job, the job begins at the scheduled time.
In the main vRanger UI, in the My Inventory view, select the server or host for the server you want
to restore, and then select the job from the Working Inventory pane.
On the View toolbar, click Run.
In the Confirm Run Job dialog box, click Yes.
To check progress or confirm completion, click My Jobs, and then click Recent Jobs.

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6
Restore
The vRanger restore process
Performing a full restore for VMs
Performing a full restore for VMware vApps
Performing a full restore of a physical machine
Performing an FLR on Windows
Performing an FLR on Linux
Restoring from manifest
The vRanger restore process

vRanger offers three main options for restoring from backup: restoring the full server from a repository,
restoring a file or files from a repository, or restoring the server or file from a manifest. For more information,
see the following sections:
Full restore
Restoring a file
Restoring from a manifest file
If you are restoring a VMware VM, be aware of the following regarding the destination that you target for a
restore:
You can change the storage-destination settings. Although vRanger uses the defaults from the original
configuration, you change the host and storage targets. For example, you can restore a backup from a
non-VVol datastore to a VVol datastore. In another example, you can restore a backup from a datastore
that is governed by one storage policy to a datastore that is governed by a different policy, or no policy.
You can select different storage for the target of the primary VM file versus the disks.
If the target uses DRS, you must select the DRS, which governs which datastore in the cluster is used at
restore time; you cannot select a specific datastore.
If your environment uses storage policies, datastores are listed under the applicable policy. Any
datastores not associated with a storage policy are listed separately.
Full restore
Using vRanger, recovery of an entire virtual machine (VM) or resource pool, VMware vSphere vApp(s), and so
on is a simple process. A full restore returns the protected objects to the state as of the point in time at which
the backup was performed. If the savepoint is for a differential backup, the restore process first restores the
matched full backup, and then merges the data from the selected differential archive. For incremental
savepoints, the full backup is restored along with each incremental archive taken between the full and the
selected savepoint.

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When restoring a parent object, such as a vApp, vRanger restores the VM data and the parent objects
metadata, allowing you to restore the entire object state and settings and the actual VM data.
During the normal restore process, information is pulled from the vRanger database to complete the restore
job. If the vRanger server is lost, and the database cannot be recovered or is otherwise unavailable, you can
reinstall a fresh version of vRanger and import the repository to regain access to your backups.
Restoring a physical server

vRanger restores physical savepoints to physical target servers using the vRanger Restore image by using a CD
or USB drive. This restore image provides a temporary boot environment into which the vRanger tools are
loaded and run. After the restore is complete, the server can be rebooted into the restored operating system.
After the target server is configured, the process of restoring a physical savepoint is similar to restoring a VM. A
full restore returns the server or servers to the state as of the point in time at which the backup was performed.
If the savepoint is for a differential backup, the restore process first restores the matched full backup, and then
merges the data from the selected differential archive. For incremental savepoints, the full backup is restored
along with each incremental archive taken between the full and the selected savepoint.
IMPORTANT: When restoring to a physical server, ensure that you are restoring to hardware supported by
the operating system and drivers in the savepoint being restored. Restoring a backup to dissimilar
hardware might prevent the restored server from functioning.
For the procedures on restoring a physical savepoint, see Performing a full restore of a physical machine.
Restoring a file
Unlike traditional backup solutions that require file-level agents, vRanger can recover a file or files directly
from the image-level backup, without mounting the image. Incremental backups are combined with the parent
full image as needed.
One of the key problems with file-level restore (FLR) is finding the appropriate files. vRanger includes a
cataloging feature that indexes backups of Windows servers, and records the metadata to enable faster
searching. For more information, see Performing an FLR using Catalog Search.
Restoring from a manifest file

Each savepoint contains a manifest file that can be used to restore the savepoint without access to the vRanger
database. In addition, the Restore from Manifest function can be used to recover savepoints that are not part of
a repository those savepoints that have been recovered from tape, for example.
The Restore from Manifest function can be used for full restores of VMs and physical servers, and FLR. To restore
a savepoint using the manifest file, see Restoring from manifest.
Performing a full restore for VMs

vRanger performs a full restore of a VM by using a savepoint created from a backup job. A savepoint contains
point-in-time data of the VM. If you select an incremental savepoint from which to restore the server, a full
savepoint is also restored, along with every incremental savepoint taken between the time of the full backup
and the time of the selected incremental backup.
For information about performing a full restore from a savepoint manifest, see Restoring from manifest.
For more information, see Performing a full restore of a physical machine.

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To perform a full restore for a VM, complete the following tasks:
Starting the Restore Wizard
Selecting a savepoint
Selecting a destination
Selecting a network
Selecting a restore data transport method for VMware machines
Configuring restore options
Starting the restore job

When restoring a server from a savepoint, the Restore Wizard guides you through the steps necessary to
complete the restore.
To use the Restore Wizard:

1
In the main vRanger UI, click My Repositories.
Select the repository in which the savepoints for the server you want to restore are stored.
In the Working Repository pane, select a savepoint to restore.
On the toolbar, click Restore.
Right-click the savepoint, and click Restore.
On the Mode Selection page, enter the Job Name and Job Description.
Click Next.
The Savepoint Selection page displays all available savepoints, including their respective VMs and repositories.
The savepoint selected on the Mode Selection page appears checked.
To select a savepoint:
1
[Optional] Do one or more of the following:
Clear the check box, and select a different savepoint.
Select an additional savepoint for incremental backups.

NOTE: If you select two or more savepoints with the same name on the same host, an error
message appears and the Next button is disabled until you chose your selection.
Click Next.

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The Destination Selection page lets you configure the host, drives, and datastores to which the savepoints are
to be restored.
To select a destination:
1
To select options to apply to all VMs, do the following:

a
Select the host from the Master Host drop-down list.

The Master Host lets you select all hosts simultaneously.
Confirm that the path that appears in the Virtual Machine Location field is correct.
To change this path, use the browse () button to locate and a select a new location.
Click the Master Datastore browse button to locate and select the datastore to use for all VMs.
The Master Datastore lets you select all datastores simultaneously.
d
2
Click Assign.
To select options for individual VMware VMs, do the following:

a
Select the primary VM and the disks that you want to restore.
Disks disabled for Restore appear in italics.
To select a different host for each VM, click the drop-down list in the Restore To Host column,
and then select the host to which the VM should be restored.
To select a different datastore for each VM, click the browse button next to the Primary
Datastore column entry.
On the Select Primary Storage page, select the applicable datastore or DRS, if applicable, and
click OK.
This page lists all datastores associated with the selected host. Datastores are first grouped based
on whether they are governed by a storage policy. Datastores are also grouped based on whether
they reside in a DRS cluster. You can expand or collapse groups as needed.
By default, vRanger assigns the same storage selection to the primary VM and its disks, if
applicable.
To select a different datastore for a disk, click the browse button next to the Primary Datastore
column entry for the disk, select the applicable datastore or DRS on the Select Primary Storage
page, and click OK.
On the Destination Select page appears, verify that the applicable datastore is specified in the
Primary Datastore column for the primary VM and the disks.
NOTE: VVol datastores only support thin disks. If your VM resided on a thick disk during the
backup and you select a VVol datastore for the restored VM, vRanger automatically converts
the setup to thin disks.
To select options for individual Hyper-V VMs, do the following:

a
Select the disks you want to restore.

To select a different host for each VM, click the drop-down list in the Restore To Host column,
and then select the host to which the VM should be restored.
To select a different datastore for each VM, click the button next to the Configuration File
Location column entry.
To rename to VM you are restoring, enter the new name under the Restore As column.
Click Next.
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Selecting a network
The Network Selection page lets you configure the virtual network to which each vNIC should be connected
upon restore. You can also configure a Master Network, which uses the selected network for all vNICs.
To select a network:
1
To use the same network for all VMs, select a host from the Master Network drop-down list to
which all VMs should be restored. Click Assign.
To use different networks for individual VMs, select a virtual network from the connected
network adapters included in the Restore To Host drop-down list for each VM to which the vNIC
should be connected.
Click Next.
Selecting a restore data transport method for

VMware machines
In vRanger, the transport determines how restore data is sent, and where the restore processing activity occurs;
for more information, see VMware backup transport options. When configuring a restore job for a VMware VM,
the Restore Wizard, by default, uses the Automatic transport selection option to select the best transport
method at run-time; you can also configure the transport manually by using the Using Custom transport
selection option.
NOTE: The Transport Selection page is not available when restoring a physical or Hyper-V virtual server.
When restoring physical servers and Hyper-V VMs, vRanger sends the data to restore over the network
from the repository. Because this method is the only one available for transporting data for physical and
Hyper-V servers, the Transport Selection page of the Restore Wizard does not display.
To select a restore data transport method for VMware machines, complete one of the following procedures:

The Restore Wizard includes an Automatic transport selection option, which lets vRanger select the best
To use Automatic transport selection:

1


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2
Click Next.

The Custom transport selection option lets you specify both where the actual restore processing activity
To use Custom transport selection:

1

On a vRanger VA.
3
LAN

4
[Optional] If you want your LAN backups to be encrypted, select Use SSL encryption when transferring
files over the LAN connection.
Click Next.

The Options Selection page displays the restore options available depending on the type of VM you want to
restore.
To configure restore options:

1
On the Options Selection page, select from the following restore options:
Force overwrite: This option overwrites any existing disk or config files of the same name as
those files in the destination host.
Force power on: This option turns on the VM after the restore.
Create cluster role for restored virtual machine: This option is for Hyper-V VMs only. It
attempts to add the VM as a cluster resource of the Hyper-V host parent cluster.
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NOTE: The cluster option is available only when a Hyper-V cluster has been added to the
vRanger inventory and includes the host that is selected as the restore destination.
2
Click Next.

The Recurrence Schedule Selection page lets you indicate whether the restore job should be done on demand
at this moment or at a future time. To schedule a future occurrence, you must define the start time,
recurrence pattern, and range of recurrence.

1
On the Recurrence Schedule Selection page, select the options as described in the following table.
This will be an On There is no need to define a schedule. The job runs on demand.
Demand job
Start Time

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Recurrence
Pattern

configured.

other month.

other month.
Every [m] [x]:

The [f] [d] of [m]:

minutes that should pass between jobs.
Range of
Recurrence
Click Next.

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1
Click Next.

The final page in the Restore Wizard displays a summary of the selections you made for the job.
To start the restore job:

1
If you want to begin the job automatically after completing the wizard, select Run the Job after Finish
is clicked.
Click Finish.
do the following:
In the main vRanger UI, in the My Inventory view, select the server or host for the server you
want to restore, and then select the job from the Working Inventory pane.
Performing a full restore for VMware

vApps
vRanger performs a full restore of a VMware vSphere vApp(s) by using a savepoint created from a backup job.
A savepoint contains point-in-time data of the vApp, including member VMs and vApp metadata. If you select an
incremental savepoint from which to restore the server, a full savepoint is also restored, along with every
incremental savepoint taken between the time of the full backup and the time of the selected incremental
backup.
For more information, see Performing a full restore of a physical machine.
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To perform a full restore for a vApp, complete the following tasks:
Mapping storage
Selecting a restore data transport method for VMware machines

When restoring a server from a savepoint, the Restore Wizard guides you through the steps necessary to
complete the restore.
To use the Restore Wizard:

1
Right-click the savepoint, and then and click Restore.
Click Next.
The Destination Selection page lets you configure the virtual data center (vDC) to which the VMware vSphere
vApp(s) savepoints are to be restored, and the name of the restored vApp.
1
To rename the vApp you are restoring, enter the new name in the Restore vApp As field.
In the Restore vApp under vDC drop-down list, select the virtual data center to which the vApp should
be restored.
Click Next.
Mapping storage
The Restore Storage Mapping page lets you configure the storage profile and, as needed, the datastore for each
VM in the vAPP.
To select storage mapping:

1
In the Storage Profile drop-down list, select the applicable storage profile.
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Selecting a storage profile allows VMware vCloud Director to select the appropriate datastore
automatically based on your storage profile settings.
2
To specify a datastore manually, select Any in the Storage Profile drop-down list, and select the
applicable datastore in the Datastore drop-down list.
Click Next.
Selecting a restore data transport method

In vRanger, the transport determines how restore data is sent, and where the restore processing activity occurs;
for more information, see VMware backup transport options. When configuring a restore job for a VMware VM
or VMware vSphere vApp(s), the Restore Wizard uses the Automatic transport selection option by default to
select the best transport method automatically at run-time. You can also configure the transport manually by
using the Using Custom transport selection option.
NOTE: The Transport Selection page is not available when restoring a physical or Hyper-V virtual server.
When restoring physical servers and Hyper-V VMs, vRanger sends the data to restore over the network
from the repository. Because this method is the only one available for transporting data for physical and
Hyper-V servers, the Transport Selection page of the Restore Wizard does not display.
To select a restore data transport method for VMware machines, complete one of the following procedures:

The Restore Wizard includes an Automatic transport selection option, which lets vRanger select the best

1

Click Next.

The Custom transport selection option lets you specify both where the actual restore processing activity

1

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120

2
On a vRanger VA.
3
LAN

4
Click Next.

The Options Selection page displays the restore options available for VMware vSphere vApp(s) restore jobs.

1
Force power on: This option turns on the vApp after the restore.
Click Next.


1
Demand job
Start Time

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Recurrence
Pattern

configured.

other month.

other month.
Every [m] [x]:

The [f] [d] of [m]:

Range of
Recurrence
Click Next.

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1
Click Next.


1
is clicked.
Click Finish.
do the following:

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Performing a full restore of a physical

machine
Like the restore process for a VM, the restore process for a physical machine uses the vRanger Job Wizard. While
the process of restoring physical machines is similar to the VM restore process, some of the preliminary
preparations are different.
To perform a full restore of a physical machine, complete the following tasks:
Creating the boot media
Booting the target server
Naming the job
Mapping disks

To restore a savepoint to a physical machine, you must first boot the target server into the vRanger restore
environment using the vRanger Restore images ISO for CD, IMG for a bootable USB drive. You can download the
restore image files vzRestore-<version>.iso and vzRestore-<version>.img from the Dell website.
To create the boot media, complete one of the following procedures:
Creating a bootable CD
Creating a bootable USB drive
Complete the steps in the following procedure to create a bootable CD.
IMPORTANT: The procedures for creating a bootable CD differ widely depending on the operating system
and software used. The following procedures show how to use the native Windows 7 utility to create a
bootable CD. If you have a different image burning application, follow the instructions for that
application.
NOTE: This procedure requires a blank CD/DVD and a writable CD/DVD drive.
To create a bootable CD:

1
Insert the blank CD/DVD into the writable drive.
Download the vzRestore-<version>.iso file from http://software.dell.com/products/vranger/.
If necessary, copy the vzRestore-<version>.iso file to the machine with the writable CD/DVD drive.
Right-click the ISO file, select Open with, and then click Windows Disk Image Burner.
From the disk burner drop-down list, select the drive containing the blank disk.
Click Burn.
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Complete the steps in the following procedure to create a bootable USB drive.
NOTE: There are no native Windows utilities for creating a bootable USB drive from an IMG file. The
following procedure was created using a freeware application, Image Writer for Windows. Follow the
instructions for your application.
To create a bootable USB drive:

1
Insert a blank USB drive into your USB port.
Download the vzRestore-<version>.img file from http://software.dell.com/products/vranger/.
If necessary, copy the vzRestore-<version>.img file to the machine with the blank USB drive.
In the Image Writer for Windows UI, browse to the vzRestore-<version>.img file.
In the Device drop-down list, ensure that the correct USB drive is selected.
Click Write.
Click Exit.

For vRanger to detect the target server, the target server must be booted into the vRanger restore environment
and have a valid IP address. The vRanger Restore image is configured to use Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol (DHCP) by default. If you are using static IP, some additional steps are required.
To boot the target server, complete one of the following procedures:
Booting into the restore environment using DHCP
Booting into the restore environment using static IP

Complete the steps in the following procedure to boot into the vRanger restore environment using DHCP.
To boot into the restore environment using DHCP:

1
Using the boot media created in the previous steps, boot the target server into the vRanger restore
environment.
When the boot is complete, a list of available network devices and their connection status appears.
If a DHCP server is available, the restore environment obtains its IP configuration automatically,
and a prompt appears with the IP information. Record this information to use during the restore
job creation process.
If no DHCP server is detected, each Ethernet device shows as Disconnected. Select the
preferred network device. If only one device is present, it is automatically selected. Press Enter
to select the highlighted network interface. You are then prompted to select either Use DHCP,
which attempts to obtain an IP address again, or Configure Static IP.
[Optional] If the vRestore environment does not contain the correct drivers for your hardware, enter a
Linux command prompt by pressing F1, and add them manually.
IMPORTANT: Do not reboot the target server or the IP configuration is lost.

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Complete the steps in the following procedure to boot into the vRanger restore environment using a static IP
address.
To boot into the restore environment using static IP:

1
environment.
When the boot is complete, a list of available network devices and their connection status appears. If no
DHCP server is detected, each Ethernet device shows as Disconnected.
Select the preferred network device.

If only one device is present, it is automatically selected.
Press Enter to select the highlighted network interface.

You are then prompted to select either Use DHCP, which attempts to obtain an IP address again, or
Configure Static IP.
To configure a static IP address, select Configure Static IP.
In the Setting Static IP dialog box, enter the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway information, and
then select Submit.
The target server is configured with the selected IP information.
The savepoint is from where the data for the physical machine is restored.
To select a savepoint:
1

NOTE: For the procedures on restoring from a manifest file, see Performing a full restore from
manifest for VMs.
Right-click the savepoint, and then and click Restore.
The vRanger Restore Wizard starts.

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Naming the job

After the Restore Wizard - Advanced starts, you have the opportunity to name the restore job so that you can
distinguish it from other jobs.
To name the job:

1
Click Next.
The Disk Mapping page appears.
Mapping disks
The Disk Mapping page of the wizard lets you map the protected disks in the savepoint to the existing physical
disks on the target server.
To map disks:
1
On the Disk Mapping page, in the Restore Machine IP Address field, enter the IP for the target server;
for more information, see Booting the target server.
Click Map Disks.

The page lists the disks in the chosen savepoint.
For each disk you want to recover, select the appropriate target disk in the Restore to Disk drop-down
menu; for disks that you do not want to recover, select Skip this Disk.
Click Next.
The Recurrence Schedule Selection page appears.


1
Demand job
Start Time

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127
Recurrence
Pattern

configured.

other month.

other month.
Every [m] [x]:

The [f] [d] of [m]:

Range of
Recurrence
Click Next.

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1
Click Next.


1
is clicked.
Click Finish.
do the following:
Performing an FLR on Windows

You can restore a file from a savepoint by accessing the File Level Restore command in the My Repositories
view. FLR is accessible regardless of how the savepoints are sorted. You can right-click the savepoint in the
Working Repository pane to select the command or you can click to select the savepoint and then click the FLR
icon on the toolbar.
There is no need to copy or recreate the contents of the disk. The data remains compressed. When you make an
FLR request, only the relevant files are moved from the repository to the designated computer.
A key component of the vRanger FLR is the vRanger catalog functionality. While you can use FLR without
cataloging enabled, it is much easier to find a preferred file by using a catalog search than through manual
browsing of savepoints.
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NOTE: If the volume was created on Windows Server 2012 or later, the vRanger machine must also use
Windows Server 2012 or later to complete FLR. Older systems may not show data on GPT disks.
VMs with dynamic disks are not supported for FLR.
Performing an FLR using Catalog Search

Cataloging lets you search and browse savepoints for files inside the backup archives. Cataloging must be
enabled at the start of the backup job to function, and also enabled globally in the Configuration Options dialog
box.
Catalog Search has the following parameters:
When cataloging a full backup, all files in the system are stored in the database.
When cataloging an incremental backup, only the files that were modified since the last backup are
stored in the database.
When cataloging a differential backup, only the files that were modified since the last full backup are
stored in the database.
NOTE: When it comes to reporting the status of a backup task, cataloging is not considered a
critical function. The cataloging portion of the task can fail, and the task is still considered
successful.
To perform FLR using Catalog Search:

1
On the main vRanger UI, navigate to the My Repositories pane, and then select the repository in which
you want to search.
Do one of the following to start the Catalog Search function:
Click the Catalog Search Icon
On the Menu Bar, click the Tools menu, and then click Catalog Search.
The Catalog Search & Browse dialog box appears.

Entering a search string in the Catalog Search Criteria field searches all repositories and savepoints for
the string.
3
To refine the scope of the search further, click Advanced.

The Advanced option lets you limit the search to a repository or VM (savepoint).
Select the repository or VM you want to search, enter the search string, and click Search.
Select the preferred savepoint, and click FLR for File Level Restore, or Restore for the Full Restore.
NOTE: Catalog searching supports the traditional wildcard character (*) in any position. The search
string can be as short or as long as you prefer; however, the shorter the string, the longer the
search takes. SQL Server Express is limited to one CPU and 1 GB of RAM; a short search string for
instance, dot could result in very slow searching, and SQL Server Express could run out of
memory. To minimize performance issues during Catalog Search, make the search string as specific
as possible.

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Performing a manual FLR

The dialog box for this method of restoring files is made up of the following three panes:
Savepoint pane: In this area, all the files or folders connected to a savepoint are nested. When you click
the file or folder that you want to restore, the path is listed above it.
Destination pane: This pane includes a tree structure of all possible destinations for the restored file or
folder you select.
Restore Status pane: This area of the dialog box contains data after the restore process starts. It
includes a column that indicates the percentage of the job that has completed. The dialog box also
features a Stop link that, when clicked, ends the restore process. When a job is stopped or it has
completed, a View in Explorer link appears.
To perform a manual FLR:

1
In the Working Repository pane, right-click the savepoint for which you want an FLR and select File
Level Restore.
In the Select the Files/Folders to Restore pane, expand the archive to view the file structure.
Select the file or files to recover.
In the Destination pane, select the destination to which the selected files should be recovered.
The Destination pane shows the Windows Explorer view for the machine on which vRanger is installed.
CAUTION: vRanger does not check for previous versions of the files you are restoring. Files restored
using FLR overwrite any previous files of the same name in the restore destination.
Click Restore.
In the Restore Status pane, view the status of the restore activity and the value in the Percent Finished
column.
Make sure that the status is Finished and Percent Finished is 100%.
To view the restored file or folder, click the View in Explorer link.
Performing an FLR on Linux

FLR from Linux server savepoints requires that a vRanger virtual appliance (VA) is deployed and configured for
Linux FLR. For instructions on deploying and configuring the vRanger VA, see the Dell vRanger
After you configure the vRanger VA, the FLR process for a Linux VM is the same as the manual FLR process
meaning the process not using a catalog search for a Windows VM. For more information, see Performing a
manual FLR.
Linux FLR limitations

There are several limitations and requirements that apply to FLRs from Linux VMs.
NOTE: The following summarizes the limitations; for more information, see the Dell vRanger
Linux: FLR from Linux servers requires the use of the vRanger VA. For more information, see Performing
an FLR on Linux.
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Linux: Not all Linux file systems are supported for FLR. For a list of supported Linux platforms and file
systems, see the Dell vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.
Permissions: vRanger requires you to recover the Linux files to an intermediate Windows machine.
When you recover Linux files to a Windows machine, you lose the file permissions.
Source VM Configuration: The source VM properties need to show the operating system (OS) type as
Linux. If this setting is not configured properly, vRanger does not identify the savepoint as a Linux VM.
Restoring from manifest

vRanger offers the ability to restore a savepoint after it has been moved from a repository. This feature allows
for greater flexibility when restoring a file or server after it has been moved to long-term tape backups. You
may also use the Restore from Manifest feature to restore a server after transporting the savepoint to a
secondary location.
You may perform three different operations when restoring from a manifest file:
Performing a full restore from manifest for VMs
Performing a full restore from manifest for a physical machine
Performing FLR from manifest
Performing a full restore from manifest for VMs

database. If the vRanger machine is lost, you may install a fresh installation of vRanger, and restore savepoints
using this manifest file.
NOTE: The procedures in this section apply to restoring from a VM savepoint manifest. For information on
restoring a physical server from a savepoint manifest, see Performing a full restore from manifest for a
physical machine.
To perform a full restore from manifest for VMs, complete the following tasks:
Creating a restore job
Selecting a savepoint from the manifest
Selecting a network
Selecting a transport method for VMware machines

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Creating a restore job starts the Restore Wizard, which guides you through the steps of completing the job.
To create a restore job:

1
In the vRanger UI, click My Repositories.
On the toolbar, click Restore from Manifest, and then click one of the following options:
Restore from VMware Savepoint Manifest File
Restore from Hyper-V Savepoint Manifest File
The Restore Wizard starts.

3
On the Mode Selection page, populate the Job Name and Job Description fields.
Click Next.
The Savepoint Manifest Selection page appears.

Use the Savepoint Manifest Selection page to browse to the location of the manifest on your network, and
configure the appropriate authentication credentials for the file.
To select a savepoint from the manifest:

1
On the Savepoint Manifest Selection page, do one of the following:
Enter the path to the savepoint manifest file.
Click Browse, and then browse to the location of the savepoint manifest.
Enter the credentials for the account with access to the savepoint manifest.
[Optional] If the savepoint is encrypted, enter the encryption password.
Click Add.
Repeat Step 1 through Step 4 as needed for multiple savepoints.
Click Next.
The Destination Selection page appears.
The Destination Selection page lets you configure the host, drives, and datastores to which the savepoints are
restored.
1
To select options to apply to all VMs, do the following:

a
Select the host from the Master Host drop-down list.

The Master Host lets you select all hosts simultaneously.
Confirm that the path that appears in the Virtual Machine Location field is correct.
To change this path, use the browse () button to locate and a select a new location.
Click the Master Disk Storage Datastore browse button to locate and select the datastore to use
for all VMs.
The Master Datastore lets you select all datastores simultaneously.
Click Assign.
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To select options for individual VMs, do the following:

a
Select the primary VM and the disks you want to restore.

To select a different host for each VMDK, click the drop-down list in the Restore To Host column
for each VM, and then select the host to which the VM should be restored.
To select a different datastore for each VM, click the button next to the Primary Datastore
column entry.
On the Select Primary Storage page, select the applicable datastore or DRS, if applicable, and
click OK.
This page lists all datastores associated with the selected host. Datastores are first grouped based
on whether they are governed by a storage policy. Datastores are also grouped based on whether
they reside in a DRS cluster. You can expand or collapse groups as needed.
By default, vRanger assigns the same storage selection to the primary VM and its disks, if
applicable.
To select a different datastore for a disk, click the browse button next to the Primary Datastore
column entry for the disk, select the applicable datastore or DRS on the Select Primary Storage
page, and click OK.
On the Destination Select page appears, verify that the applicable datastore is specified in the
Primary Datastore column for the primary VM and the disks.
NOTE: VVol datastores only support thin disks. If your VM resided on a thick disk during the
backup and you select a VVol datastore for the restored VM, vRanger automatically converts
the setup to thin disks.
To rename to VM you are restoring, enter the new name under the Restore As column.
Click Next.
Selecting a network
The Network Selection page lets you configure the virtual network to which each vNIC should be connected
upon restore. You can also configure a Master Network, which uses the selected network for all vNICs.
To select a network:
1
To use the same network for all VMs, select a host from the Master Network drop-down list to
which all VMs should be restored. Click Assign.
To use different networks for individual VMs, select a virtual network from the connected
network adapters included in the Restore To Host drop-down list for each VM to which the vNIC
should be connected.
Click Next.

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Selecting a transport method for VMware machines

In vRanger, the transport determines how backup data is sent, and where the backup processing activity occurs;
for more information, see VMware backup transport options. When configuring a backup job for a VMware VM,
the Backup Wizard, by default, uses the Automatic transport selection option to select the best transport
method at run-time; you can also configure the transport manually by using the Using Custom transport
selection option.
NOTE: The Transport Selection page is not available when backing up a physical or Hyper-V virtual server.
When backing up physical servers and Hyper-V VMs, vRanger sends the backup data over the network to
the repository. Because this method is the only one available for transporting data for physical and HyperV servers, the Transport Selection page of the Backup Wizard does not display.
To select a transport method for VMware machines, complete one of the following procedures:

The Backup Wizard includes an Automatic transport selection option, which lets vRanger select the best

1

Click Next.

The Custom transport selection option lets you specify both where the actual backup processing activity

1

On a vRanger VA.
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3
LAN

4
Click Next.

The Options Selection page displays the restore options available depending on the type of VM you want to
restore.

1
Force power on: This option turns on the VM after the restore.
Create cluster role for restored virtual machine: This option is for Hyper-V VMs only. It
attempts to add the VM as a cluster resource of the Hyper-V host parent cluster.
NOTE: The cluster option is available only when a Hyper-V cluster has been added to the
vRanger inventory and includes the host that is selected as the restore destination.
Click Next.


1
Demand job
Start Time

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136
Recurrence
Pattern

configured.

other month.

other month.
Every [m] [x]:

The [f] [d] of [m]:

Range of
Recurrence
Click Next.

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1
Click Next.


1
is clicked.
Click Finish.
do the following:
Performing a full restore from manifest for a

physical machine
vRanger offers the ability to restore a savepoint after it has been moved from a repository. This feature allows
for greater flexibility when restoring a file or server after it has been moved to long-term tape backups. You
may also use the Restore from Manifest feature to restore a server after transporting the savepoint to a
secondary location.
database. If the vRanger machine is lost, you may install a fresh installation of vRanger, and restore savepoints
using this manifest file.

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NOTE: The procedures in this section apply to restoring from a physical machine savepoint manifest. For
information on restoring a VM from a savepoint manifest, see Performing a full restore from manifest for
VMs.
To perform a full restore from a manifest for a physical machine, complete the following tasks:
Mapping disks

To restore a savepoint to a physical machine, you must first boot the target server into the vRanger restore
environment using the vRanger Restore images ISO for CD, IMG for a bootable USB drive. You can download the
restore image files vzRestore-<version>.iso and vzRestore-<version>.img from the Dell website.
This task is a procedure in Performing a full restore from manifest for a physical machine.
To create the boot media, complete one of the following procedures:
Complete the steps in the following procedure to create a bootable CD.
IMPORTANT: The procedures for creating a bootable CD differ widely depending on the operating system
and software used. The following procedures show how to use the native Windows 7 utility to create a
bootable CD. If you have a different image burning application, follow the instructions for that
application.
NOTE: This procedure requires a blank CD/DVD and a writable CD/DVD drive.
To create a bootable CD:

1
Insert the blank CD/DVD into the writable drive.
If necessary, copy the vzRestore-<version>.iso file to the machine with the writable CD/DVD drive.
Right-click the ISO file, select Open with, and then click Windows Disk Image Burner.
From the disk burner drop-down list, select the drive containing the blank disk.
Click Burn.

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Complete the steps in the following procedure to create a bootable USB drive.
NOTE: There are no native Windows utilities for creating a bootable USB drive from an IMG file. The
following procedure was created using a freeware application, Image Writer for Windows. Follow the
instructions for your application.
To create a bootable USB drive:

1
Insert a blank USB drive into your USB port.
If necessary, copy the vzRestore-<version>.img file to the machine with the blank USB drive.
In the Image Writer for Windows UI, browse to the vzRestore-<version>.img file.
In the Device drop-down list, ensure that the correct USB drive is selected.
Click Write.
Click Exit.

For vRanger to detect the target server, the target server must be booted into the vRanger restore environment
and have a valid IP address. The vRanger Restore image is configured to use Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol (DHCP) by default. If you are using static IP, some additional steps are required.
To boot the target server, complete one of the following procedures:

Complete the steps in the following procedure to boot into the vRanger restore environment using DHCP.
To boot into the restore environment using DHCP:

1
environment.
When the boot is complete, a list of available network devices and their connection status appears.
If a DHCP server is available, the restore environment obtains its IP configuration automatically,
and a prompt appears with the IP information. Record this information to use during the restore
job creation process.
If no DHCP server is detected, each Ethernet device shows as Disconnected. Select the
preferred network device. If only one device is present, it is automatically selected. Press Enter
to select the highlighted network interface. You are then prompted to select either Use DHCP,
which attempts to obtain an IP address again, or Configure Static IP.
IMPORTANT: Do not reboot the target server or the IP configuration are lost.

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Complete the steps in the following procedure to boot into the vRanger restore environment using a static IP
address.
To boot into the restore environment using static IP:

1
environment.
When the boot is complete, a list of available network devices and their connection status appears. If no
DHCP server is detected, each Ethernet device shows as Disconnected.
Select the preferred network device.

If only one device is present, it is automatically selected.
Press Enter to select the highlighted network interface.

You are then prompted to select either Use DHCP, which attempts to obtain an IP address again, or
Configure Static IP.
To configure a static IP address, select Configure Static IP.
In the Setting Static IP dialog box, enter the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway information, and
then select Submit.
The target server is configured with the selected IP information.

Creating a restore job starts the Restore Wizard, which guides you through the steps of completing the job.
To create a restore job:

1
On the toolbar, click Restore from Manifest, and then click Restore from Physical Savepoint Manifest
File.
The Restore Wizard starts.
On the Mode Selection page, populate the Job Name and Job Description fields.
Click Next.
The Savepoint Manifest Selection page appears.

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Use the Savepoint Manifest Selection page to browse to the location of the manifest on your network, and
configure the appropriate authentication credentials for the file.
To select a savepoint from the manifest:

1
On the Savepoint Manifest Selection page, do one of the following:
Enter the path to the savepoint manifest file.
Click Browse, and then browse to the location of the savepoint manifest.
Enter the credentials for the account with access to the savepoint manifest.
[Optional] If the savepoint is encrypted, enter the encryption password.
Click Add.
Repeat Step 1 through Step 4 as needed for multiple savepoints.
Click Next.
The Destination Selection page appears.
Mapping disks
The Disk Mapping page of the wizard lets you map the protected disks in the savepoint to the existing physical
disks on the target server.
To map disks:
1
On the Disk Mapping page, in the Restore Machine IP Address box, enter the IP for the target server;
for more information, see Booting the target server.
Click Map Disks.

The page lists the disks in the chosen savepoint.
For each disk you want to recover, select the appropriate target disk in the Restore to Disk drop-down
menu; for disks that you do not want to recover, select Skip this Disk.
Click Next.
The Recurrence Schedule Selection page appears.


1
Demand job
Start Time

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142
Recurrence
Pattern

configured.

other month.

other month.
Every [m] [x]:

The [f] [d] of [m]:

Range of
Recurrence
Click Next.

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1
Click Next.


1
is clicked.
Click Finish.
do the following:
Performing FLR from manifest

An FLR from manifest lets you move the files that make up a backup to your preferred location restore a VM
whose backup files are not in a repository. This process lets you move the files that make up a backup to
wherever you want and still perform a restore.
To perform an FLR from manifest:

1
Click My Repositories.
On the My Repositories toolbar, click the FLR from Manifest icon

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In the File Level Restore from Manifest dialog box, enter the user name, password, and path for the
Manifest file of the backup that contains the files you want to restore.
Enter the Encryption Password, if the backup was encrypted.
Click OK.
In the Select the Files/Folders to Restore pane, expand the archive to view the file structure, and then
select the file or files to recover.
In the Destination pane, select the destination to which the selected files should be recovered.
The Destination pane shows the Windows Explorer view for the machine on which vRanger is installed.
CAUTION: vRanger does not check for previous versions of the files you are restoring. Files restored
using FLR overwrites any previous files of the same name in the restore destination.
Click Restore.
In the Restore Status pane, view the status of the restore activity and the value in the Percent Finished
column.
10 Verify that the status is Finished and Percent Finished is 100%.

11 To view the restored file or folder, click View in Explorer.

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7
Replicate VMs
Understanding replication of VMs
Replication modes
Creating a replication job
Using replication failover
Understanding replication of VMs

vRanger includes integrated replication based on the proven technology of vReplicator, enabling replication of
VMware virtual machines (VMs) both on site and at remote locations for flexible and efficient disaster recovery
preparedness. Combine backup and replication jobs to ensure that you meet your organizations recovery time
and recovery point objectives. Perform fast VM failover and recovery at all your sites, no matter where they are
located.
NOTE: Replication is not available for Hyper-V VMs.
If you are looking for information on replicating Dell RDA and EMC DD Boost repositories, see Managing
repository replication.
A VM is made up of a set of files. Replicating a VM is, in essence, replicating the set of files that make up the
VM, with changes to these files that reflect user-specified settings for the source VM.
Be aware of the following regarding the destination that you target for a replication:
You can change the storage-destination settings. Although vRanger uses the defaults from the original
configuration, you change the host and storage targets. For example, you can replicate from a non-VVol
datastore to a VVol datastore. In another example, you can replicate from a datastore that is governed
by one storage policy to a datastore that is governed by a different policy, or no policy.
You can select different storage for the target of the primary VM file versus the disks.
If the target uses DRS, you must select the DRS, which governs which datastore in the cluster is used at
replication time; you cannot select a specific datastore.
If your environment uses storage policies, datastores are listed under the applicable policy. Any
datastores not associated with a storage policy are listed separately.
The following table lists the set of files replicated by vReplicator:

Table 6. Files replicated
File extension
Description
.vmx
The VM config file, one per VM.
.vmxf
The extended VM config file, one per VM.
.nvram
The VM BIO file, one per VM.
.vmdk
The VM hard disk file, one per hard disk or snapshot.
-flat.vmdk
The VM hard disk data file, one per hard disk or snapshot.

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Table 6. Files replicated

File extension
Description
-delta.vmdk
The VM snapshot data file, one per snapshot.
-ctk.vmdk
The VM hard disk change tracking file when CB is enabled on the disk.
How replication works

During the replication process, the configuration files are created and modified on the target server by way of
the VMware API.
A set of working files is also created and used during the replication process. The following table lists these files
and their purposes:
Table 7. Working files
File extension
Description
.vzmap
Records data block offset and hash of files on the target VM. A .vzmap file is
created for each of the files replicated at the end of the replication. The .vzmap
file is used by the next replication pass to detect any data changes since the
previous pass. It stays on the target VM as long as the job is still configured to run.
While relatively small, the size of the .vzmap file is directly proportional to the size
of the VMDK it is based on.
During replication, the .vzmap file is stored on the target VA.
vzundo-script
A script created by the replication process to roll back changes on the target VM if
there is a replication failure. This file created on the target VA at the start of the
replication process and removed at the end.
.vzundo
This file is a temporary file that records original data of changed blocks since the
replication started. One for each VMDK replicated. If there is a replication failure
such as a network failure, the vzundo-script can be run to restore files to their
original state. These files are created on the VA by the replication process and
removed when the job is completed.
NOTE: The .vzundo file is as large as the amount of changed data replicated during
a given pass. For example, if a replication pass sends 20 GB of changed data to the
target VA, the .vzundo file is 20 GB.
.vmdk-abbt.vztemp
Active block filter file. One for each hard disk data file when ABT is enabled. It
records active data block offsets for source VM disks. This file is used against the
.vzmap file to figure out data blocks that need to be streamed to the target. It is
created at the start of the replication process and removed when disk replication is
completed.
.vmdk-abfg.vztemp
Change block filter file. One for each hard disk when Changed Block Tracking (CBT)
is enabled. It records changed block offsets for source VM disks. This file is only
generated when CBT and ABT are both enabled. It is later combined with the
.vmdk-abbt.vztemp file into -flat-map.vztemp and removed.
-flat-map.vztemp
Disk data filter file. One for each hard disk when one of two situations are true: CB
is enabled, or both AB and CB are enabled. It contains active and changed data
block offsets that need to be compared to the .vzmap file at the target to figure
out data blocks that need to be streamed to the target. It is created right before
file replication starts and removed when file replication is completed.
.vzcid
Records target VM disk CIDs at the end of the replication pass.

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Replication with the virtual appliance (VA)

vRanger supports VMware ESXi replication by way of the vRanger VA, which leverages the VMware HotAdd
disk transport mechanism. After the VAs are configured and deployed, the use of the VA is automatic and
transparent. The following lists some key points about replicating with the VA:
For instructions on deploying and configuring the VAs, see the Dell vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.
At a minimum, deploy one VA on every ESXi server that you plan to use as a replication source or target.
For hosts in a cluster, you can deploy the VA to only one host in the cluster; the VA is shared among the
clusters other hosts.
VAs must be used in pairs. For example, if you are replicating to a target host or cluster that is using a
VA, use a VA on the source host or cluster as well.
Due to VMware limitations on how snapshots are handled during HotAdd operations, hardware changes to
the source VM occurring after a job has been configured are not replicated to the target VM. For more
information, see Replication modes.
Communication between the VAs occurs through an SSH tunnel using AES-256 encryption. For more information,
see the Encryption description in Major feature list.
Additional replication requirements

The following limitations and requirements apply to replication:
vRanger replication does not operate with servers that are behind a network address translation (NAT)
firewall. To replicate through a NAT firewall properly, you must have an IP tunnel in place between two
NATed subnets. Contact your ISP provider to see if this option is available to you.
The VM hardware cannot be changed during replication. For this reason, the VM must be at a hardware
version level that is compatible with both the source and target servers. The VMware ESXi version of
the source and target hosts does not matter, as long as the VM hardware is supported on both ESXi
versions. For more information on VM hardware versions and compatibility, see the VMware
documentation at https://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/.
A continuous connection between source and target sites is required when replication is taking place.
Excessive network packet loss could result in replication failure. Replication does work with links having
average packet loss of less than 2%. Replication is not designed to work in replication environments
where packet loss exceeds commercially accepted limits.
Networks having 99% uptime and availability generally provide for good Replication performance.
Replication with user snapshots

When replicating a VM that contains user snapshots, vRanger replicates all the snapshots in the chain from the
current snapshot to the base disk. At the target side the VM to which changes are replicated the snapshots
are merged into a single disk.
Snapshots not in the chain of the current snapshot are not replicated. In the following image, ss2 is the current
snapshot. Only ss1 and ss2 are replicated. Snapshot 3 (ss3) is a lateral snapshot to ss2, while ss4 is a child to ss2.
NOTE: Replication with user snapshots applies only to replication using the VA.

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Capturing hardware changes with replication

It is not possible to replicate hardware changes that occur on the source VM after the job has been configured.
This issue is due to a limitation in how snapshots are processed by HotAdd.
If you make hardware changes on the source VM, you need to configure the target VM in the same way before
the next replication pass. You might also need to edit the replication job to include the new hardware.
Active Block Mapping (ABM)

ABM filters deleted data blocks so that only active blocks are scanned and streamed to the target. White-space
detection eliminates the need to compress, stream, and write zero blocks during the replication process.
vRanger offers the following ABM settings options:
Replication modes
vRanger offers Replication with Changed Block Tracking (CBT) or standard Differential replication. Each of these
replication modes has the option of ABM. VM replication in general starts with replicating the source VM to the
target host. Changes are applied to the target VM at user designated intervals to keep the target in sync with
the source. Thus the key difference between the replication modes is how vRanger identifies VM changes to
replicate. For more information, see the following sections:
Replication with Changed Block Tracking (CBT)
Differential replication
Replication with Changed Block Tracking (CBT)

Replication with CBT is the recommended method of replication whenever possible.
CBT tracks the disk block changes made by the source VM. When enabled on the source host, CBT records the
blocks that have changed since the last replication pass and transfers them to the target host without scanning
the VMDK. CBT only identifies these disk-sector changes when VMware ESXi version 5.0 or later is installed on
both of the hosts being used for replication.
The following configurations are required for CBT to be available:
The VM to which the disks belong must use Hardware Version 7 or later.
CBT must be enabled for the VM you want to replicate.
VM storage must not be on an independent disk that is not affected by snapshots.

NOTE: NFS is supported. RDM is supported in Virtual Compatibility mode, but not in Physical
Compatibility mode. VMFS is also supported, regardless of whether it is backed by a SAN, iSCSI, or
local disk.
For CBT to identify disk sectors in use with the special change ID, the following configurations are also required:
The virtual disk must be on a VMFS volume, backed by a SAN, iSCSI, or local disk.
NOTE: Raw device map (RDM) partitions are not considered VMFS volumes.
The VM must have zero snapshots when CBT is enabled for a clean start.

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NOTE: CBT must be enabled for each VM that you want to replicate. VMware vSphere supports
CBT, and most VMs running in this environment can use it.
Differential replication
In differential replication, vRanger compares the data blocks on the source VM to a data map to identify blocks
that have changed since the last replication pass. These changed blocks are sent to the target VM and
committed to disk, and the data map is updated to reflect the current state of both VMs.
When using differential replication, consider the following:
During the first replication pass, the entire VM image needs to be sent to the target VM. During
subsequent replication passes, only changed data is sent. To avoid sending the entire VM image over the
network, consider pre-seeding the target VM. For more information, see Pre-seeding replication jobs
After the first replication pass, the source VM is scanned and the blocks are compared to the most recent
data map. This scanning process can take an average of one minute per gigabyte of hard drive space;
however, the actual speed depends on the underlying hardware being used. While only the changed data
is sent to the target VM, the entire hard drive must be scanned. When configuring differential replication
jobs for large VMs, take this scanning time into account. To eliminate the need for scanning, use
replication with CBT if at all possible.
Configuring transport failover options

Replication transport actions occur through HotAdd LAN-free or network. If one transport method is not
available, vRanger attempts to perform the replication task using one of the other transport methods. You may
configure the order in which vRanger attempts the transport options with the Transport Failover node of the
Configuration Options page. For VMware ESXi hosts, configure the transport order to VA-based HotAdd > VAbased Network.
Pre-seeding replication jobs

vRanger replication is intended to replicate changes from a source VM to a remote target. It is often not
practical to perform the first replication pass which sends the full VM) to a remote site over a WAN link. You
may use vRanger to seed a replication job locally to reduce the amount of data sent over the WAN.
To pre-seed replication jobs, complete the following tasks:
Backing up the source VM
Replicating the changes
Backing up the source VM

Complete the steps in the following procedure to back up the source VM.
To back up the source VM:

1
If vRanger is not already installed, do so.
Select the VM you want to get to the disaster recovery (DR) site, and create a Full backup job.
Back up the VM locally.
Copy the backup savepoint, and move it to the DR site.

You can complete this step by shipping a USB drive or some other media containing the backup archive.

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Savepoints are named using a VMname_date_time_UUID format. Copy the entire directory, which
contains a .var file and two .metadata files, for the savepoint in question.
5
Using the Restore from Manifest function documented in Performing a full restore from manifest for VMs,
restore the backup to the target VMware ESXi Server at the DR site.
Replicating the changes

Complete the steps in the following procedure to replicate the changes made to the VM.
To replicate the changes:

1
Start vRanger, and expand the host where the source VM is located.
Right-click the VM, and select Replicate <VM name>.
Configure a replication job with the preferred options.
When selecting the target host, select the host on the target side to which the source VM has been
restored.
NOTE: When selecting the target VM name, ensure that you are using the same name as the source
VM. vRanger appends _VzReplicate to the VM name on the target side.
In the Select Target Host dialog box, next to Preseed VM UUID, click the browse button, and select the
pre-seeded VM.
When configuring the primary datastore, ensure that it is the same datastore as the restored VM, and
click Finish.
Run the replication job.

Only the data changes pass over the WAN as opposed to the full VM.
Creating a replication job

vRanger uses a simple wizard to guide you through the process of creating a replication job. At a high level, the
process includes the following steps. Each of the steps is explained in more detail in the sections that follow.
To create a replication job, complete the following tasks:
Selecting the source VM
Selecting a target host
Selecting the replication mode
Selecting replication network mapping
Selecting hard disks
Selecting replication options
Starting the replication job

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Selecting the source VM

Complete the steps in the following procedure to select the source VM.
To select the source VM:

1
Click My Inventory.
Right-click the VM you want to replicate, and select Replicate <VMname>.

NOTE: If there is no VA provided for the selected VM, the Virtual Appliance Not Found window
notifies you that the replication job is going to fail without a VA. For more information, see
Understanding the vRanger virtual appliance (VA).
Enter the Job Name and Job Description, and click Next.
Selecting a target host

On the Select Target Host page, complete the following steps to select a target host.
To select a target host:

1
Choose a Target Host from the list, and click Next.
If you have pre-seeded the VM on the target host, select the host on the target side to which the
source VM has been restored. For more information, see Pre-seeding replication jobs. When
selecting the target VM name, ensure that you are using the same name as the source VM.
vRanger appends _VzReplicate to the VM name on the target side.
[Optional] In the Select Target Host dialog box, next to Preseed VM UUID, click the browse button, and
select the pre-seeded VM.
IMPORTANT: After a replication job has been saved, you cannot change the target host. If you want
to replicate to a different host, you may either use VMware vSphere vMotion to migrate the VM
to the preferred host, or create a replication job for the preferred target. If you vMotion the VM,
the existing replication job should identify the change in host and adjust automatically.
Selecting the replication mode

On the Replication Mode page, you can select between differential replication and hybrid replication. For more
information, see Replication modes.
To select the replication mode:

1
On the Replication Mode page, under Replication Type, select Differential Replication.
NOTE: Hybrid replication is not supported when replicating to or from VMware ESXi. This feature
is deprecated for vRanger 7.2 and later.
Click Next.

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Selecting replication network mapping

On the Replication Network Mapping page, you specify the network on the target host to which the VM nics
should connect.
To select replication network mapping:

1
Select the Network Mapping you want to use for this job.
Click Next.
Selecting hard disks

The Select which Hard Disk(s) to replicate page lets you include or exclude specific disks from replication.
To select hard disks:

1
Select the hard disks you want to replicate.

You may select a Primary Datastore, which is used as the default for all disks in this job, letting you
configure only the exceptions.
In the Target Datastore column, verify that the Primary Datastore has been populated.
If you want the disk to replicate to a different datastore, click the browse button () next to the Target
Datastore selection.
On the Select Primary Storage page, review the list of datastores.

This page lists all datastores associated with the selected host. Datastores are first grouped based on
whether they are governed by a storage policy. Datastores are also grouped based on whether they
reside in a DRS cluster. You can expand or collapse groups as needed.
NOTE: VVol datastores only support thin disks. If your VM resided on a thick disk during the backup
and you select a VVol datastore for the replicated VM, vRanger automatically converts the setup to
thin disks.
Select the applicable datastore, and click OK.
When the Select which Hard Disk(s) to replicate page appears, click Next.
Selecting replication options

The Replication Options page lets you configure additional operations performed during the replication job. You
may also view the transport failover preferences, and modify them as needed.
To select replication options:

1
Configure the replication options, using the following table for guidance.
Option
Description
Check destination for

free space.
This option prompts vRanger to check the destination location to ensure that
there is enough space available for the replica VM.
Update notes with latest If this flag is selected, vRanger updates the VM Notes in VC with the most
replication results.
recent replication task status.
NOTE: vRanger maintains the existing VM notes in VMware vCenter,
appending the replication status to the end.

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Option
Description
Enable guest quiescing.
This option enables the VMware Tools when creating a snapshot. Use this
flag if you are replicating a database server. During this process, vRanger
freezes or pauses writes on supported applications to provide a consistent
image of VSS-enabled databases. For more information, see Physical backup
transport options.
Enable Active Block

Mapping (ABM).
Selecting this option enables ABM, which lets vRanger skip data that
recognized as removed on Windows NTFS including junk data in recycle
bin.
NOTE: With this option enabled, junk data in recycle bin and deleted data
on the VM are not replicated.
The following ABM settings options are also available:
Verify your Transport Failover preference.

If you want to change the Transport Failover order, click Modify. For more information, see Configuring
transport failover options.
Click Next.

NOTE: When using the Full Backup Days option, ensure that the selected recurrence schedule causes
backup tasks to run on the configured Full Backup Days.

1
NOTE: To replicate more frequently than once per day, use the Interval recurrence pattern.
Demand job
Start Time

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Recurrence
Pattern

configured.

other month.

other month.
Every [m] [x]:

The [f] [d] of [m]:

Interval: The Interval option offers the following configurations:
Day(s). The default is 0, which lets you replicate more frequently

than daily.
Hour(s). The default is 1. To replicate more frequently, change to 0

and configure a Minute(s) value.
Minute(s). The default is 0. The minimum interval is five minutes.
NOTE: Configure a value sufficient to let the previous replication pass to continue.
Range of
Recurrence
Select the starting date and ending date.
Click Next.

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1
Click Next.
Starting the replication job

The final page in the Replication Wizard displays a summary of the selections you made for the job.
NOTE: The most common configuration error is configuring a Transport Failover sequence that does not
match your hardware. For example, if you have VA-HotAdd selected in the Transport Failover section, but
one of your hosts does not have a VA configured.
To start the replication job:

1
is clicked.
Click Finish.
do the following:

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Using replication failover

There are two kinds of replication Failover: Test Failover and Failover.
Test Failover: This function disables the replication job, snapshots the replica VM, and powers it on. You
have the option of performing a test failover with or without networking enabled on the replica VM.
There are two methods for performing failure:
Performing Test Failover with networking disabled
Performing Test Failover with networking enabled
Failover: This method simplifies the action of failover to a replica VM. You can perform a final
synchronization or fail over immediately. The vReplicator process gracefully and safely powers down
your production VM, and boots your replica VM with a single click.
Performing Test Failover with networking

disabled
The Test Failover operation can be performed from the Scheduled Jobs and On Demand Jobs nodes of the My
Jobs view.
The following describes the default Test Failover operation. To perform a test failover with networking enabled,
see Performing Test Failover with networking enabled.
To perform test failure with networking disabled:

1
Click the Test Failover
icon.
When the confirmation message appears, click Yes.

The test failover process begins, and a job is added to the Current Jobs node.
When testing is complete, select the Test Failover task in the Current Jobs node, and click Resume.

The snapshots made are reverted.
The network card is Connect at Power On, which prepares the replica VM for failover.
The VM returns to its dormant state.
Performing Test Failover with networking

enabled
Performing a test failover with the network enabled has the potential to negatively affect your production
environment. For this reason, this method of test failover is not recommended. The recommended method is
Performing Test Failover with networking disabled.
NOTE: Due to this options potential for negatively impacting your production environment, it is disabled
by default.
To perform network-enabled test failover, complete the following tasks:
Enabling network-enabled Test Failover
Performing a network-enabled Test Failover

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Enabling network-enabled Test Failover

This feature is enabled by way of the configuration file for the vRanger client,
Vizioncore.vRanger.Client.Shell.exe.config. This file is located in the vRanger installation directory. The
default is C:\Program Files\Dell\vRanger.
To enable network-enabled test failover:

1
Open the Vizioncore.vRanger.Client.Shell.exe.config file with your text editor of choice.
Make the required changes carefully, using the following information as guidance.
NOTE: Not all text editors include line numbers. If you do not see the following line numbers in
your text editor, this absence is not an indication of a problem.
Scroll to line 42 or search for Test Failover.
Change the value for ShowTestFailoverDialog from false to true, ensuring the quotation marks
remain.
Save and exit the file.
Restart the Dell vRanger Service for the configuration change to take effect.
Performing a network-enabled Test Failover

After it is enabled, you are prompted to perform a test failover; you can do so with or without networking
enabled during the test.
To perform a test failover:

1
Click the Test Failover
icon.
When the Test Failover dialog box appears, select the preferred option:
Continue with networking on the replica disabled: When performing a test failover with
networking disabled, the replica VM is powered on with the network adapter disconnected. This
option protects the production environment, but eliminates the ability of testing your replica VM
as part of a larger environment.
Continue with networking on the replica enabled: When performing a network enabled test
failover, your replica VM is powered on with the network adaptor connected.
CAUTION: This option has the potential to impact your production environment; exercise caution
when using this option.
3
Click OK.
When testing is complete, select the Test Failover task in the Current Jobs node, and click Resume.
The snapshots made are reverted.
The network card is set to Connect at power on, which prepares the replica VM for failover.
The VM returns to its dormant state.
When the confirmation prompt appears, click Yes.

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Performing a failover
If the production site becomes unavailable, or you need to move the workload to the disaster recovery (DR)
site, you can perform a failover operation from the vRanger UI.
A failover operation consists of the following actions:
Turning on the production VM.
[Optional] Performing a final synchronization between sites. This action ensures that no data is lost
during a failover. If you do not want to synchronize changes in the event of a virus, perhaps or cannot
(if a hardware failure occurred), data changed since the last replication pass is lost.
Turn on the DR VM.
Reverse the replication job, with the DR VM now acting as the source.
NOTE: The first replication pass after failing over sends the entire image, not just the changed
data.
To perform a failover:
1
In the My Jobs view, select a replication job.
Click the Failover
When the Confirm Synchronization dialog box appears, select one of the following:
icon.
Yes: This option shuts down the production VM and perform a final synchronization to the DR site.
This option ensures that no data is lost, but also transfers any virus or corruption to the replica
VM. View the replication progress in the Running Tasks section of the vRanger UI.
NOTE: If you are using differential replication, this option causes vRanger to perform a
complete scan of the VM disks, as it does for every replication pass, but only changed data
is sent to the replica VM.
No: The production VM is turned off, but no changes are sent to the DR replica.
After the failover completes, the Destination of the original replication job is now the Source, and the
original Source is now the Destination. In other words, the job is now set to replicate from the DR site to
the Production site. This change is not reflected in the vRanger UI. Jobs that have been failed over are
indicated by a failover icon and tool-tip message.
5
If the production site is unavailable, or you do not want to replicate changes, disable the replication job.
Performing failback
When the production server has been returned to proper operation, you usually need to failback the replicated
VM to the production site. A failback is simply a failover back to the production site.
A failback operation involves the following events:
Turning off the disaster recovery (DR) VM.
[Optional] Performing a final synchronization between sites. This action ensures that any data changed
on the DR VM is replicated back to the production site. If you do not synchronize changes, data changed
since the last replication pass is lost.
Turn on the production VM.
Reverse the replication job return to the jobs original configuration with the DR VM now acting as the
target.

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If the job is enabled, replication continues, sending changes from the source production VM to the DR
target.
NOTE: The first replication pass after failing back re-scans the entire image to identify changed
blocks. Only changed data is sent.
To perform a failback:
1
In the My Jobs view, select a replication job.
Click the Failback
When the Confirm Synchronization dialog box appear, select one of the following:
icon.
Yes: This option ensures that any data changed on the DR VM is replicated back to the production
site. If you do not want to synchronize, data changed since the last replication pass is lost. View
the replication progress in the Running Tasks section of the vRanger UI.
No: The DR VM turned off, but no changes are sent to the Production site.
After the failback completes, the direction of replication reverses again, this time returning to the
original configuration. The Failover icon is no longer shown.

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8
Reports
About vRanger reports
Generating a report using the Report Wizard
About vRanger reports

The My Reports view is a gateway to creating, editing, and distributing custom reports. There are several report
types:
Backup Job Summary Report
Backup Task Report
Replicate Job Summary Report
Replicate Task Report
Restore Job Summary Report
Restore Task Report
As you create reports, the documents nest under the node of the relevant report type. When you create a
backup job, you can configure a report to display in the body of an email. The report indicates which jobs were
run, which succeeded, and which failed. You can also schedule a report to run, save it as a PDF, and send it as an
email attachment.
Report information is organized by VM and includes when backups, replicates and restores were run, who ran
them, and the status of each. You can create a report for results from one or multiple VMs. Reports can contain
customized metrics for example, date range (day, month), status (successful, failed, stopped). You can run
reports when you create them or you can schedule them to be generated later.
For information on the layout of the My Reports view, see My Reports view.
Generating a report using the Report

Wizard
Through the Report Wizard, you can generate reports that are filtered by date/time and status. For example,
you can generate a report that includes only backup or restore tasks or jobs that failed over the last 10 days.
Complete the steps in the following procedure to schedule a report using the Report Wizard.
To use the Report Wizard:

1
In the main vRanger UI, click the My Reports view.
Start the Report Wizard by doing one of the following:
Right-click one of the nodes, and click Add.
Select one of the nodes, and then click the Add icon on the View toolbar.
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On the Report Filter page, enter the information as described in the following table.
Option
Description
Date Range
Narrow report data using these fields:
Machine/Source
Repository
Over the last: Enter the number in the first field and select Days or
Months from the drop-down list the default is 30 days.
Between: Click this option button to enable the two drop-down

date lists. Click each to display a calendar from which you can
select a date range.
Machine: Select a machine type to restrict report data.
Source: From this drop-down list, you can select All or any
individual source. All licensed, available sources are listed here.
Repository: This drop-down list features three values from which to

select: All, CIFS, or SFTP.
Duration
In this section, you can enter a number in the Greater than or equal to __
minutes field. The value you enter restricts the report to include only jobs
that occurred within that time limit the default is 0.
Job Status
The check boxes available in this section refer to the status of any job that
you might include in reports. Available values are: Completed, Failed,
Aborted, and Cancelled.
NOTE: Because Jobs cannot fail (Tasks within Jobs can), searching for Job
Status - Failed yields no results. To generate a list of unsuccessful
activities, search for Task Status - Failed.
On the Column Selection page, customize your report by doing the following:
Under Selected Columns, select any column you do not want to include in the report, and then
click Clear Column to move it to the Available Columns field and remove it from the report.
Columns include the following:
Job Name
Source
Repository
Job Status
Machine Type
Start Time
End Time
Duration (minutes)
# Success
# Failed
# Canceled
# Aborted
To move all columns to the Available Columns field and select the columns you want to appear in
the report, click Clear All, select the column you want to include from the Available Columns
field, and then click Add Column.

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On the Header and Footer Style Selection page, select the Body Style, Header Style, and Footer Style as
described in the following tables, and then click Next.
Body style
Font
Click the browse () button to open the Font dialog box; select your
preferred Font, Font style, Size, and Effects for the body of the report; and
then click OK.
NOTE: The default is Arial, 8, Regular.
Even Row Color
To increase readability, select a color in which you want the even rows of
the report to appear by clicking the browse (), selecting a color, and
clicking OK.
Odd Row Color
To increase readability, select a color in which you want the odd rows of
the report to appear by clicking the browse (), selecting a color, and
clicking OK.
NOTE: For best readability, the color selected for the odd rows should be in
contrast with the color selected for the even rows.
Header style
Logo
[Optional] Browse to select an image to display in the header.
Text
[Optional] Enter any text that you want displayed in the header.
Font
preferred Font, Font style, Size, and Effects for the report header; and
then click OK.
Show Time and Date in the Select this option if you want the header to include the current date and
report header
time.
Footer style
Logo
[Optional] Browse to select an image to display in the footer.
Text
[Optional] Enter any text that you want displayed in the footer.
Font
preferred Font, Font style, Size, and Effects for the report footer; and then
click OK.
NOTE: The footer refers to the status of any job that you might include in
reports. Available values are: Completed, Failed, Aborted, and Cancelled.
Show Time and Date in the Select this option if you want the footer to include the current date and
report header
time.
6
On the Recurrence Schedule Selection page, select a schedule for generating the report or make the
report available on demand using the options described in the following table, and then click Next.
Option
Description
This will be an On Demand If you select this option, no schedule for the report is set; it occurs on
job
demand. When the page appears, this option is selected by default and all
other options are disabled. Clearing this option enables the other options
and lets you schedule a report based on a specific time frame.
Start Time
The time of day at which to run the report.

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Option
Description
Recurrence Pattern
In this section, you establish how often the report should be generated.
There are five options within this section:
Daily: The daily option can be scheduled to run the report every
weekday or every x number of days.
Weekly: vRanger can be configured to run on weekly intervals, from

every week to every 99 weeks. The day of the week on which to run
reports can be configured.

x can be any value from 1 to 31. This value determines the
day of the month on which the job occurs.
y can be any value from 1 to 99. This value determines the
monthly interval for example, every two months sets the
job to run every other month.

y can be any value from 1 to 99. This value determines the
monthly interval for example, every two months sets the
report to run every other month.
Every [m] [x]:

m is any month of the year. This value determines the month
of the year in which the report occurs.
x can be any value from 1 to 31. This value determines the
day of the month on which the report occurs.
The [f] [d] of [m]:

d can be: day, weekday, weekend day, Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
m is any month of the year. This value determines the month
of the year in which the report occurs.
Interval: The interval option lets you select the number of days,
hours, and minutes that should pass between report jobs.
Range of Recurrence
Select the start and end date for running the report.
No end date: The report continues to run until it is stopped.
If you opted to run the report on demand, skip to Step 9.
If you scheduled a time for the report to recur, configure the email settings on the Report Publication
page described in the following table, and then click Next.

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Option
Description
To
Use the browse button to select one or more email addresses from the
vRanger Address Book to whom you want to send the report.
NOTE: For more information about adding addresses to the Address Book,
see Setting up the SMTP server.
Subject
Enter the text you want to appear in the Subject line of the email that is
sent with the report.
Body
Enter the message you want to appear in the body of the email that is sent
with the report.
Send as
Select the format in which you want the report to appear. Options include
the following:
PDF
Excel
On the Report Summary page, verify that the information is correct, and then click Finish.

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9
Integrating and monitoring vRanger
Integrating vRanger: overview
Monitoring vRanger
Integrating vRanger: overview

Like any component of your virtual infrastructure, vRanger can be used with other applications to achieve more
complex tasks.
Performing vRanger sweep-to-tape using Dell NetVault Backup
Using deduplication with Dell NetVault SmartDisk and vRanger
Using Data Domain and vRanger repositories
Performing vRanger sweep-to-tape using Dell

NetVault Backup
Sweeping vRanger backups to tape using NetVault Backup lets you combine the vRanger high-speed backup and
recovery capabilities with the NetVault Backup inexpensive, long-term offsite-storage technology.
To configure the vRanger sweep-to-tape feature, both vRanger and NetVault Backup must point to a common
vRanger repository folder located locally on the vRanger server.
The vRanger backup administrator creates an on-demand (not scheduled), incremental job with a specific
name, appending -Tape as a case-sensitive suffix for example, any-jobname-Tape. The -Tape suffix can be
changed by editing the Windows PowerShell script if you prefer something else. There should be a dedicated
repository for each on-demand job.
The tape backup software administrator schedules a recurring incremental backup job whose PRE field calls a
.cmd file containing the PowerShell script that searches for and then starts the vRanger on-demand jobs with
the -Tape suffix.
The vRanger on-demand job performs the incremental backup, placing the savepoint files in the repository and
updating the repositorys global manifest file.
After the vRanger job completes for example, the job status equals either success or failure the PowerShell
script exits, thus completing the PRE command.
With the PRE command of the tape backup software completed, the tape backup software, which is also
pointing to the vRanger repository folder, runs its scheduled incremental job, backing up the vRanger savepoints
and global manifest file to tape.
To perform vRanger sweep-to-tape using NetVault Backup, complete the following tasks:
Ensuring that system requirements are met
Checking the list of prerequisites
Preparing the systems

166
Preparing for vRanger sweep-to-tape using NetVault Backup
Performing backup operations
Performing restore operations
Ensuring that system requirements are met

For vRanger:
vRanger on Windows Server 2008, 2008 R2, or 2012.
Virtual or physical machines protected by vRanger.
For NetVault Backup:
A properly configured NetVault Backup Server.
Single Stand-Alone External Tape Drive or a Single Internal Tape Drive in a Library. For example, Dell
PowerVault LTO standalone and library-based tape devices are ideal for this solution.
Windows Server 2008, 2008R2, or 2012.
Checking the list of prerequisites

This document assumes that both vRanger and NetVault Backup have been installed and configured, and does
not cover the installation or the configuration of these applications. For guidance on proper installation and
configuration of the items identified in the following list, see the applicable documentation for NetVault Backup
and vRanger.
vRanger installed and properly configured.
Location to store the vRanger repository, accessible by both vRanger and NetVault Backup.
NetVault Backup installed and properly configured with a tape device or library.
Blank tapes with enough storage to contain the vRanger repository.
Supported devices
Most existing tape libraries and tape formats are supported by NetVault Backup, including stand-alone and
library-based tape devices in SAN or shared-SCSI environments. In addition to the line of approved Dell
PowerVault tape devices, visit our Supported Devices page for a complete list of supported devices.
Preparing the systems

The following changes need to be made to a default configuration to prepare for the vRanger sweep-to-tape
process:
Enable remote scripts in vRanger PowerShell Console.
Create a vRanger repository dedicated to sweep-to-tape.
Download the required vRanger PowerShell scripts from: https://support.software.dell.com/netvaultbackup/kb/141112
Copy the vRanger PowerShell scripts to the NetVault Backup folder.

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Preparing for vRanger sweep-to-tape using NetVault Backup

The vRanger sweep-to-tape process supports two possible installation scenarios. While both options are similar,
the instructions in this documentation are designed for the first scenario and can be adapted to fit scenario 2.
Scenario 1: vRanger and NetVault Backup are on the same server:
vRanger resides on the NetVault Backup Server.
A local repository shared by vRanger and NetVault Backup.
Windows PowerShell PowerShell and vRanger must always be installed on the same server.
A PowerShell script that finds and starts the vRanger on-demand job.
A .bat file designed to start the PowerShell script from NetVault Backup Server.
NOTE: When installing vRanger and NetVault Backup on the same server, do not install the Dell NetVault
Backup Plug-in for VMware.
Scenario 2: vRanger and NetVault Backup are running on different servers:

NetVault Backup is installed on its own server. All other components reside on the vRanger server.
Server 1-NetVault Backup:
NetVault Backup is installed and configured on a supported operating system.
Server 2-vRanger/PowerShell:
NetVault Backup agent that can run a PRE command script. The agent runs the PowerShell script
contained in a .bat file called by using the PRE command option.
vRanger resides on its own server.
A local repository on the vRanger server, and shared by vRanger and NetVault Backup.
Windows PowerShell.
A PowerShell script that finds and starts the vRanger on-demand job.
A command-file script that contains the PowerShell script.
To prepare your environment for vRanger Sweep-to-Tape using NetVault Backup as described in Scenario 1,
complete the following tasks:
Enabling execution of PowerShell scripts
Using vRanger sweep-to-tape scripts
Creating a sweep-to-tape vRanger repository
Enabling execution of PowerShell scripts

Windows PowerShell contains an execution policy that determines whether scripts are allowed to run, and
whether they must be digitally signed before they can run. While the default policy is set to block the execution
of such scripts, the following section details the process for enabling this option.
Complete the steps in the following procedure to enable execution of PowerShell scripts.
To enable execution of PowerShell scripts:

1
Click Start > All Programs > Dell > vRanger Backup & Replication > vRanger Console.
This step opens a PowerShell console ready to accept commands. You should expect to see an error
message, which can be remedied by enabling remote scripts.
Type the following, and then press Enter:

Set-executionpolicy remotesigned
To accept the change, type Y and press Enter.

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To close the vRanger Console, type Exit and press Enter.
Reopen the vRanger Console and confirm the proper configuration.

The window scheme changes from red text on a black background to white text on a blue background,
and a welcome message appears.
Using vRanger sweep-to-tape scripts

To facilitate starting the vRanger job, Dell has designed scripts that start the vRanger on-demand job from
within NetVault Backup.
To use vRanger Sweep-to-Tape scripts:

1
Download the vranger_sweep_to_tape.zip file from: https://support.software.dell.com/netvaultbackup/kb/141112
Extract the contents of the zip file to the following folder on your NetVault Backup Server:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell\NetVault Backup\scripts
NetVault Backup only runs scripts located in this folder.
Creating a sweep-to-tape vRanger repository

For this scenario, you must create a specific vRanger repository to be captured by the NetVault Backup job. This
repository should reside in a shared location where both vRanger and NetVault Backup can access the backups.
This repository should be used only for vRanger backups that are expected to be swept-to-tape with NetVault
Backup.
To create a Sweep-to-Tape vRanger repository:

1
Click Start > All Programs > Dell > vRanger Backup & Replication > vRanger Backup & Replication.
In the navigation pane on the left, click My Repositories.
Right-click your preferred target, select Add, and then click the type of storage you want to add.
Enter a name for the repository, and then provide the required information and credentials to let
vRanger to create and access the repository on this target.
Click OK.
vRanger immediately attempts to validate the connection.
Performing backup operations

To sweep backed up data to tape, you need to create both a backup job for vRanger and a backup job for
NetVault Backup.
To perform backup operations, complete the following tasks:
Creating an on-demand vRanger backup job
Creating a NetVault Backup job with pre-command scripts
Creating an on-demand vRanger backup job

You need to create a vRanger backup job that captures a complete backup of the machines you want to sweep
to tape.
To create an on-demand vRanger backup job:

1
In the navigation pane on the left, select My Inventory, and then locate the machine or machines you
want to include in the backup.
Right-click the computer name, and select Backup <machine name> on the context menu.
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The Backup Wizard opens.

3
Under Job Name, give the job a name that ends in -Tape; for example, vRanger-Sweep-to-Tape, and then
click Next.
NOTE: The provided script is designed to automatically start any vRanger job where the job name
ends with -Tape. Use this naming convention to enable Sweep-to-Tape.
On the Virtual Machine Hard Disk Inclusion page, select the disks in the machine to include in the
backup job, and then click Next.
On the repository Selection page, select the target repository created in Creating a sweep-to-tape
vRanger repository, and then click Next.
If the vRanger Transport Selection page appears, select whether to use Automatic transport or to
customize the transport method, and then click Next.
vRanger Transport determines how backup data is sent and where the restore processing activity occurs.
The default transport method is Automatic; however, if the server you are backing up is a VMware VM,
you can customize the method as appropriate on the Transport Selection page.
On the Options Selection page, select your preferred backup options, and then click Next.
On the Retention Policy Selection page, determine how many savepoints to keep, and whether to
capture Full, Incremental, or Differential backups; click Next.
NOTE: Selecting more savepoints provides additional points-in-time to which you can recover the
machine. For more information, see Understanding retention policies and space-saving
technologies.
On the Recurrence Schedule Selection page, select This will be an on demand job, and click Next.
On-demand jobs are scheduled tasks that are not set to start from a recurring schedule. Because a
sweep-to-tape backup job is initiated by script from the NetVault Backup task, you must this job on
demand. Doing so saves the job settings but lets the NetVault Backup integration start the job ondemand.
10 On the Email Notifications Selection page, specify who to notify when the job has finished running by
entering one or more names and email addresses to be notified, and click Next.
11 On the Summary page, review the Summary window to make sure that your configuration is correct, and
then do the following:
Leave the option to Run the job after Finish is clicked cleared.
Click Finish to save the job and close the Backup Wizard.
12 To view or access the job, click My Jobs in the left-pane, and then select On Demand jobs under My
Jobs.
Creating a NetVault Backup job with pre-command scripts

Complete the steps in the following procedure to create a NetVault Backup job with pre-command scripts. In
the following scenario, most of the default settings are used so that the job captures a full backup each time
the job runs. For more information on customizing the available NetVault Backup options, see the Dell NetVault
Backup Administrators Guide.
To create a NetVault Backup job with pre-command scripts:

1
Ensure that NetVault Backup is properly installed, and your tape drive or library is installed and visible to
NetVault Backup.
Start the NetVault Backup WebUI, and click Create Backup Job.
In Job Name, specify a name for the job; for example, vRanger_Sweep_to_Tape.
Assign a descriptive name that lets you easily identify the job when monitoring its progress or restoring
data. The job name can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot contain
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non-Latin characters. There is no length restriction; however, a maximum of 40 characters is

recommended.
4
In the Selections list, click Create New, select the preferred NetVault Backup machine from the list of
servers, and then double-click it to see a list of identified source devices for this server.
Navigate to the vRanger repository, and select the files and folders to include in the archive.
NOTE: NetVault Backup supports a wide array of sources from which to capture data, including
NAS, CIFS, RAW devices, and local devices.
In the Plugin Options list, select an existing Backup Options Set, or click Create New, and configure the
options that you want to use.
In the Schedule list, select an existing Schedule Set, or click Create New, and configure the schedule
type and schedule method.
NetVault Backup provides scheduling options such as immediate, one-time, and triggered.
In the Target Storage list, click Create New, and then do the following:
a
On the Create Target Set page, click Device Selection.
Select Specify Device for a list of available devices.
Select the preferred device in the list to tell NetVault Backup to use this device in the backup.
NOTE: Selecting multiple devices lets NetVault Backup use additional devices as required.
Select the preferred device in the list to tell NetVault Backup to use this device in the backup.
Click Set to save the settings and close the dialog box.
On the Create Target Set page, click Media Options, and configure the settings to set specific policies to
target specific media, label blank media, or specify whether to reuse media with existing data.
10 Next to the Advanced Options list, Create New, and configure the options that you want to use.
You can select options to customize the backup process; for example, how long to maintain the archive,
encryption, and deduplication options; network compression. In this example most of the options remain
with their defaults, except for a Pre Script that runs the vRanger On Demand backup.
11 On the Advanced Options page, click Pre & Post Scripts, and select Pre Script, and then enter the
following in the entry field:
vranger_sweep.bat
This process initiates the vRanger backup and waits for the job to complete. After the job is finished,
NetVault Backup continues and archives the vRanger repository to tape.
12 To submit the job for scheduling, click Save & Submit.
You can monitor the job progress from the Job Status page and view the logs from the View Logs page.
NOTE: A job that uses the Schedule type of Triggered is only scheduled when you run the script.
This job runs the backup script, which in turn communicates with vRanger and starts the
Backup_and_Sweep-Tape job. You can switch back to vRanger to watch the job start and run. After
vRanger has finished, NetVault Backup completes the job by capturing the updated repository to tape.
Performing restore operations

There are two available ways to restore your data using vRanger.
To perform restore operations, complete one of the following procedures:
Restoring a vRanger repository from tape using NetVault Backup
Restoring from a vRanger repository

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Restoring a vRanger repository from tape using NetVault Backup

Use the following steps to export a previously captured vRanger repository from tape.
To restore a vRanger repository from tape using NetVault Backup:

1
In the Navigation pane, click Create Restore Job.

On the Create Restore Job Choose Saveset page, the saveset table provides a list of available
savesets. The table shows the saveset name (Job Title and Saveset ID), creation date and time, and
saveset size.
Select the saveset that you want to restore, and click Next.
NOTE: If the backup index of the selected saveset is offline, the Confirm load dialog box is
displayed. Click OK to load the index from the backup media, and then in the Load Index dialog
box, type or select the number of days you want to store the index in the NetVault Database.
On the Create Selection Set page, select the archive, for example, vRanger_Sweep_to_Tape, that you
want to restore, and click Next.
This step restores the entire vRanger repository.
CAUTION: It is important that you restore to a new repository and not to an existing repository.
Failure to do so can possibly result in corruption of data.
On the Create Restore Job page, specify a name for the job.
Assign a descriptive name that lets you easily identify the job when monitoring its progress or restoring
data. The job name can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot contain
non-Latin characters. There is no length restriction; however, a maximum of 40 characters is
recommended.
In the Target Client list, location to restore the file set from the list of available machines.
In the Schedule list, use the default, Immediate, to run the job when it is submitted.
In the Source Options list, select the media from which to restore the archive.
Click Submit to run the job.

You can monitor the job progress from the Job Status page and view the logs from the View Logs page.
Restoring from a vRanger repository

The following steps detail the process of restoring data from a vRanger repository.
To restore from a vRanger repository:

1
Select the vRanger repository that contains the backup of the VM; for example, Repo-001.
vRanger provides options to restore the complete VM, or individual files or folders.
A list of protected VMs display.
Select the VM containing the data to restore, and then click File Level Restore in the top menu to start
the process.
A file structure view of the selected VM appears.
Locate and select the files and folders to restore to the selected machine.
On the right side of the window, select the target location; for example, Desktop.
Click Restore to start the recovery, which extracts the files from the vRanger repository for immediate
access.
After recovery is complete, you have access to the newly restored files.

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Using deduplication with Dell NetVault

SmartDisk and vRanger
NetVault SmartDisk delivers data de-duplication that significantly reduces storage costs. With powerful, bytelevel, variable block de-duplication, and advanced data compression that packs more protected data in the
same storage area than competing solutions, you can reduce your disk backup storage footprint by up to 90%.
vRanger versions 5.3 and later support the use of a NetVault SmartDisk server as a repository. Simply by adding
a NetVault SmartDisk server to vRanger as a repository, backups written to that repository are automatically deduplicated.
NOTE: NetVault SmartDisk repositories are only supported by the Professional edition of vRanger. If you
purchased a vRanger Standard license, you cannot use a NetVault SmartDisk repository.
For more information about integrating vRanger and NetVault SmartDisk, see the Dell vRanger Integration Guide
for Dell NetVault SmartDisk.
Using Data Domain and vRanger repositories

vRanger and EMC Data Domain appliances provide a simple and efficient method for backing up and
recovering VMware environments. vRanger provides significant enhancements regarding architecture,
performance, and communications over traditional backup solutions. Data Domain provides superior data deduplication capabilities. The combination of vRanger and Data Domain Technology dramatically reduces your
backup and recovery time for VMs on VMware ESXi hosts.
For more information about integrating vRanger and Data Domain, see the Dell vRanger Integration Guide for
EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost).
Monitoring vRanger
vRanger can be configured to log events to the Windows Event Viewer on the vRanger machine. These events
can be filtered and monitored using the Microsoft System Center Operations Manager to monitor replication
functions in line with other IT operations. When monitoring is enabled, vRanger creates a vRanger Service node
on the local Event Viewer.
The events currently monitored and logged by vRanger include:
Replication Events: Reserved ID Range 10000 to 10999

Replication task failure: logged as an error, event ID 10001
Virtual Appliance Events: Reserved ID Range 11000 to 11999

VA not powered on: logged as an error, event ID 11001
VA connection failure: logged as an error, event ID 11002
VA credential failure: logged as an error, event ID 11003
VA unknown failure: logged as an error, event ID 11999
VA return to normal: logged as an Information event, ID 11998
Datastore Events: Reserved ID Range 12000 to 12999

Datastore threshold exceeded: logged as an error, event ID 12000
Datastore unknown failure: logged as an error, event ID 12099
Datastore return to normal: logged as an Information event, ID 12098
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About event monitoring configurations

The configurations for event monitoring are done by way of the configuration file for the Dell vRanger Service,
Vizioncore.vRanger.Service.exe.config. This file is located in the vRanger installation directory. The default is
C:\Program Files\Dell\vRanger.
CAUTION: Change only the values listed in the following sections unless directed otherwise by Dell
Support.
Opening the configuration file
Configuring replication monitoring
Configuring virtual appliance (VA) monitoring
Configuring datastore monitoring
Restarting the Dell vRanger Service
Opening the configuration file

Complete the steps in the following procedure to open the configuration file.
To open the configuration file:

1
Open the Vizioncore.vRanger.Service.exe.config file with your text editor of choice.
Make the required changes carefully, using the following information as guidance.

NOTE: Not all text editors include line numbers. If you do not see the referenced line numbers in
your text editor, this absence is not an indication of a problem.

Replication monitoring logs replication task failures to the Windows event log with the Event ID of 10001. The
log also includes the error message and information about the task such as source VM, target host, and vCenter.
To configure replication monitoring:

1
In the Vizioncore.vRanger.Service.exe.config file, scroll to line 162 or search for Replication

FailureWriteEventLog.
Change the value false to true, ensuring the quotation marks remain.
Save the file and exit.

Continue to the next section to make additional changes.

174

When enabled, at the specified interval, the vRanger VA monitor goes through all the configured VAs and checks
to make sure that their power is turned on. The vRanger VA monitor also verifies that vRanger is able to connect
to the VAs using the specified IP addresses and credentials.
To configure VA monitoring:
1
In the Vizioncore.vRanger.Service.exe.config file, find the lines corresponding to the preferred

setting:
VirtualApplianceMonitoringEnabled: line 204.

Set this value to true to enable monitoring of the VA.
VirtualApplianceMonitoringEventLogFailureLogMax: line 207.

This setting is the maximum number of times that a particular VA failure can be logged to the
Event log before a success. Change the value of 7 to the preferred value, ensuring the
quotation marks remain.
This setting is intended to limit the number of messages in your event viewer. A refresher
message appears periodically based on the next value.
VirtualApplianceMonitorSecondaryIntervalInHours
This value determines how often the refresher message occurs for a failed VA check after the
FailureLogMax value has been reached. The default is 6, which indicates that it logs an event
every six hours.
VirtualAppliancesConnectionCheckIntervalInMinutes
This setting determines how often vRanger checks the connection to configured VAs. The default
is 5, which indicates that it checks the connection every five minutes.

Continue to the next section to make additional changes.

When enabled, at the specified interval, the datastore monitor goes through all the configured datastores and
determines if the space available on the datastore exceeds the specified threshold. This check might be either
by percentage or a specific value in gigabytes. When this exception occurs, an event is logged in the Windows
event log with an ID of 12000.
To configure datastore monitoring:

1
In the Vizioncore.vRanger.Service.exe.config file, find the lines corresponding to the preferred

setting:
DatastoreMonitoringEnabled: line 218

Set this value to true to enable monitoring of the datastores.
DatastoreMonitoringSpaceThresholdValue: line 220

This setting is the threshold value for a datastore space before a warning is sent. This value is
modified by the DatastoreMonitoringSpaceThresholdType setting.
DatastoreMonitoringSpaceThresholdType: line 222

This value determines whether vRanger checks for percentage of free space or an absolute value
in GB. Set 0 for percent, 1 for GB.
DatastoreMonitorCheckIntervalInMinutes: line 224

How often vRanger checks the datastores for low space (in minutes) the default is 30 minutes.
175
DatastoreMonitoringEventLogFailureLogMax: line 227

The maximum number of times a particular datastore monitor failure can be logged to the
Windows event log before a success the default is 7.
This setting is intended to limit the number of messages in your event viewer. A refresher
message appears periodically based on the next value.
DatastoreMonitorSecondaryIntervalInHours: line 230

This value determines how often the refresher message occurs for a datastore that has reached
its space threshold value after the FailureLogMax value has been reached. The default is 6, which
indicates it logs an event every six hours.

For the changes to take effect, you must restart the Dell vRanger Service.
To restart the service:

1
On the vRanger machine, click Start > Run.
Type services.msc and click OK.
Find the Dell vRanger Service. Right-click the service, and click restart.

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10
Using the vRanger Console
vRanger Console overview
Configuring the vRanger Console
vRanger vAPI Cmdlets
vRanger Console overview

vRanger uses Windows PowerShell with a Dell snap-in to provide scripting access to vRanger features and
functions. This feature lets vRanger integrate with other data protection solutions and offers an efficient
configuration option for advanced users.
The snap-in includes the vAPI cmdlets required to create and manage jobs and view relevant information data
reading your virtual environment.
For more information on PowerShell, see https://technet.microsoft.com/library/dn425048.aspx.
Configuring the vRanger Console

The vRanger installer automatically installs Windows PowerShell 1.0 and the vAPI snap-in during the product
installation. Before using the vAPI cmdlets, you must first configure the PowerShell execution policy to run the
vRanger scripts. This process is a one-time configuration that does not need to be repeated.
To configure the vRanger Console:

1
Click Start > All Programs > Dell > vRanger Backup & Replication > vRanger Console.
When opening the vRanger Console for the first time, you see an error message stating that the
execution of scripts is disabled on your system. This issue is due to the default PowerShell execution
policy, which must be enabled.
At the prompt, type the following command, and press Enter.

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
NOTE: PowerShell and vAPI commands are not case-sensitive.
When the prompt re-appears, close and re-open the vRanger Console.
When the vRanger Console restarts, you should see a screen with a blue background and a list of vAPI
cmdlets.
The vRanger vAPI is now configured and ready for use.

177
vRanger vAPI Cmdlets

The vRanger PowerShell snap-in includes the following cmdlets.
Inventory management
Add-DdbRepository
Get-VirtualApplianceConfig
Add-PhysicalMachine
Get-VirtualApplianceDeploymentStatus
Add-VirtualAppforLinuxFLR
Get-VirtualApplianceReconfigStatus
Add-VirtualAppforLinuxFLRVA
Get-VirtualMachinesUnderInventory
Add-VirtualCenter
Remove-VirtualAppliance
Get-Datastore
Remove-VirtualApplianceConfiguration
Get-InventoryEntities
Update-HypervRestoreJobTemplate
Get-IsInventoryRefreshing
Update-VirtualAppliance
Update-VirtualApplianceConfiguration
Configuration
Dismount-LinuxVolume
New-TransportConfiguration
Get-MonitorLog
New-VirtualAppliance
Remove-AllMount
Get-VmDisk
Remove-LinuxVolume
Get-VMDKVolume
Set-CBTonVM
Install-VirtualAppliance
Set-LinuxVolume
Mount-LinuxVolume
Set-MountPath
New-EmailAddress
Set-Resources
New-SMTPServer
Job management
Disable-Job
New-IntervalSchedule
Enable-Job
New-MonthlySchedule
Get-AddressBook
New-WeeklySchedule
Get-ConfigOption
New-YearlySchedule
Get-Connection
Remove-JobTemplate
Get-CurrentTemplateVersionID
Get-Job
Set-Cataloging
Get-JobTemplate
Stop-vRangerJob
New-Daily Schedule

178
Repositories
Add-CIFSRepository
Get-RepositoryJob
Add-DdbRepository
Get-RepositorySavePoint
Add-FTPRepository
Get-Savepoints
Add-HypervCluster
Remove-Repository
Add-NVSDRepository
Remove-SavePoint
Add-SFTPRepository
Remove-DdbStorageUnit
Get-PhysicalMachineDiskMap
Backup
Add-BackupGroupEntity
New-BackupGroupMember
Add-BackupJobTemplate
Remove-BackupGroupEntity
Get-BackupGroupEntity
Remove-BackupGroupMember
New-BackupFlag
Update-BackupJobTemplate
Restore
Add-RestoreFromManifestJobTemplate
Get-SavepointManifest
Add-RestoreJobTemplate
New-RestoreFlag
Get-CatalogSearchData
Remove-Catalog
Get-CatalogStatus
Update-RestoreJobTemplate
Get-RestoreDiskMap
Replication
Add-PhysicalMachine
Run-ReplicationFailover
Get-GlobalTransportFailover
Run-ResumeReplicationFailover
Get-MonitorLog
Run-TestReplicationFailover
Get-TransportFailover
Update-GlobalTransportFailover
New-ReplicationFlag
Update-ReplicationJobTemplate

179
Cmdlet help
To get help on any of the vAPI cmdlets, use the Get-Help command. At the prompt, enter Get-Help command,
where command is any of the preceding vAPI cmdlets.
For example, enter Get-Help Add-SFTP Repository and the following is displayed:
Description The Add-SftpRepository cmdlet adds an SFTP repository to vRanger. The
repository can be later used to store backup files from backup jobs.
Syntax Add-SftpRepository [-Server] <string> [[-Port] [<int>]]
[[-TargetDirectory][<string>]] [-User] <string> [-Password] <string> [[-TimeOut]
[<short>]] [-Name] <string> [[-Description] [<string>]] [[-Overwrite]
[<Boolean>]][<CommonParameters>]
NOTE: Windows PowerShell and vAPI commands are not case-sensitive. vAPI cmdlets are shown
capitalized only to make them easier to read.
For more information, you may use the -detailed or -full parameters. For example:
Get-Help Add-SFTPRepository -Detailed or Get-Help Add-SFTP Repository - Full.

180
A
vAPI Cmdlet details
IMPORTANT: For the most up-to-date help contents, see the cmdlet help. To get help on any of the vAPI
cmdlets, use the Get-Help command. At the prompt, enter:
Get-Help <command> -full
where <command> is any of the following vAPI cmdlets.
Description
Adds a new backup group to vRanger. New-BackupGroupMember cmdlet is used to add

members to a backup group created using this cmdlet or the UI.
Syntax
Add-BackupGroupEntity [-BackupGroupName] <String>

[<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
BackupGroupName <String>: The BackupGroup Name.
<CommonParameters>: This cmdlet supports the common parameters: -Verbose,

-Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, and -OutVariable. For more information,
type: "get-help about_commonparameters"
Type [-Type]: This optional parameter specifies the type of backup group:
VMware, HyperV, or Physical. If not specified, the default is VMware.
Examples
Add-BackupGroupEntity -BackupGroupName BG1
Related links

vAPI Cmdlet details
181
Description
Adds a backup job. You also have the option of running the job immediately after the
template is created.
Syntax
Add-BackupJobTemplate [-JobName] <String> [[-JobDescription]

<String>] [-JobEntity] <Entity> [[-ExcludedVMList] <String>]
[[-IncludedDiskList] <String>] [-TargetRepository] <Repository>
[[-JobSchedule] <Schedule>] [-Flags] <NoFlags | BackupPoweredOnOnly
| CheckDestinationFreeSpace | UseCompression | UpdateNotes |
EnableGuestQuiescing | EnableABM | UseFiber |
PerformNetworkBackupOnFailure | UseCataloging | AllFlags>
[-NumberOfSavePoints] <Int> [-SpaceSavingTechnologyTypeFlag] <None
| Incremental | Differential> [[-SpaceSavingCountThreshold] <Int>]
[[-SpaceSavingPercentSizeThreshold] <Int>] [[-NotificationList]
<String>] [[-RunJobNow] <Boolean>] [[-TransportConfiguration]
<TransportConfiguration>] [[-FullBackupDays]
<List`1>][<CommonParameters>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
182
Parameters
Examples
JobName <String>: Job name.
JobDescription [<String>]: Job description.
JobEntity <Entity>: Inventory entity on which the job is going to run on

VMware ESXi host, VirtualCenter, and so on.
ExcludedVMList [<String>]: List of VM universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) to

exclude from this job.
IncludedDiskList [<String>]: List of virtual disks to include in this job.
TargetRepository <Repository>: Repository where the backups are to be stored.
JobSchedule [<Schedule>]: Schedule on which the job runs.
Flags <BackupFlags>: Backup flags.
NumberOfSavePoints <Int>: Max number of savepoints to store before older ones

are removed.
SpaceSavingTechnologyTypeFlag <SpaceSavingTechnologyType>: Spacesaving

technology to use: differential, incremental or none.
SpaceSavingCountThreshold [<Int>]: The number to save before performing a

full backup.
SpaceSavingPercentSizeThreshold [<Int>]: The size to allow as a % of the VM

hard disk file before performing a differential backup.
NotificationList [<String>]: Email notification list for the job.
RunJobNow [<Boolean>]: Whether to run the job now.
TransportConfiguration [<TransportConfiguration>]: The transport

configuration options to use for this job.
FullBackupDays [<List '1>]: The days to perform a full backup.

Add-BackupJobTemplate -JobName myjob -JobEntity $inv

-TargetRepository $repo -JobSchedule $s -Flags NoFlags
-NumberOfSavePoints 3 -SpaceSavingTechnologyTypeFlag None
This command adds a backup job template. Because the RunJobNow flag is not specified,
the job does not run immediately.
Related links
Add-PhysicalMachine
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate
Add-CIFSRepository
Description
Adds a CIFS repository to vRanger. The repository can be later used to store backup files
from backup jobs.
Syntax
Add-CifsRepository [-Server] <String> [-ShareName] <String>

[[-TargetDirectory] <String>] [-DomainName] <String> [-User]
<String> [-Password] <String> [-Name] <String> [[-Description]
<String>] [[-Overwrite] <Boolean>] [[-EnableEncryption] <Boolean>]
[[-EncryptionPassword] <String>] [[-ImportOption] <String>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
183
Parameters
Examples
Server <String>: The CIFS Server FQDN or IP.
ShareName <String>: Name of the file-system share the repository is on.
TargetDirectory [<String>]: The CIFS target directory.
DomainName <String>: Name of the domain.
User <String>: The CIFS user name.
Password <String>: The CIFS password.
Name <String>: A friendly name describing this CIFS server.
Description [<String>]: The description of the CIFS server.
Overwrite [<Boolean>]: Whether to overwrite the existing repository if one

exists.
EnableEncryption [<Boolean>]: Whether to enable encryption.
EncryptionPassword [<String>]: The encryption Password.
ImportOption [<String>]: Whether to import the save points as read-write or

read-only.
<CommonParameters>: This cmdlet supports the common parameters:

-Verbose, -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, and -OutVariable. For more
information, type: "get-help about_commonparameters"
Add-CifsRepository -Server myserver.dev.corp -Sharename myshare

-TargetDirectory myrepo -User myname -Password mypassword -Name
myCifs Repo -Overwrite 1
This command adds a repository on server myserver.dev.corp pointing to a share named
myshare using the credentials provided. Existing repositories at the location specified
are overwritten.
Related links
Add-DdbRepository
Add-HypervCluster
Add-NVSDRepository
Add-SFTPRepository
Add-FTPRepository
Add-DdbReplicationRepository
Description
Adds an EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) replication repository to vRanger.
Syntax
Add-DdbReplicationRepository [-Server] <String> [StorageUnit]

<String> [-User] <String> [-Password] <String> [-Name] <String>
[[-Description] <String>][-RepositoryId] <String>
Parameters
Server <String>: The DD Boost server FQDN or IP.
StorageUnit <String>: The DD Boost storage unit.
User <String>: The user name to access the DD Boost server.
Password <String>: The password to access the DD Boost server.
Name <String>: A friendly name describing this DD Boost server.
Description [<String>]: The description of the DD Boost server.
RepositoryId <String>: Repository ID in GUID.

-Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, -WarningAction, -WarningVariable,
-OutBuffer, and -OutVariable. For more information, type: "get-help
about_commonparameters"
vAPI Cmdlet details
184
Examples
Add-DdbReplicationRepository -Server myserver.dev.corp

-StorageUnit mystorage -User myname -Password mypassword -Name
myDDB Repo -RepositoryId 82E8A98A-1165-4ABE-966B-0E0AEF260620
This command configures a replication repository for repository identified by ID
82E8A98A-1165-4ABE-966B-0E0AEF260620 on server myserver.dev.corp pointing to a
storage unit named mystorage using the credentials provided.
Related links
Get-Repository
Add-DdbRepository
Add-DdbRepository
Description
Adds an EMC Data Domain Boost (DDB) repository to vRanger. The repository can be later
used to store backup files from backup jobs.
Syntax
Add-DdbRepository [-Server] <String> [-StorageUnit] <String>

[-User] <String> [-Password] <String> [-Name] <String>
[[-Description] <String>] [[-Overwrite] <Boolean>] [[-ImportOption]
<String>] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
Server <String>: The EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) server FQDN or IP.
StorageUnit <String>: The DD Boost storage unit.
User <String>: The user name to access the DD Boost server.
Password <String>: The password to access the DD Boost server.
Name <String>: A friendly name describing this DD Boost server.
Description [<String>]: The description of the DD Boost server.

exists.

read only.

Add-DdbRepository -Server myserver.dev.corp -StorageUnit mystorage

-User myname -Password mypassword -Name myDDB Repo -Overwrite 1
This command adds a repository on server myserver.dev.corp pointing to a storage unit
named mystorage using the credentials provided. Existing repositories at the location
specified are overwritten.
Related links
Add-CIFSRepository
Add-HypervCluster
Add-NVSDRepository
Add-SFTPRepository
Add-FTPRepository

vAPI Cmdlet details
185
Add-EsxHost
Description
Adds a VMware ESXi host to the inventory.
Syntax
Add-EsxHost [-DNSorIP] <String> [-Username] <String>

[-RootPassword] <String> [[-UserPassword] <String>] [[-Port] <Int>]
[[-AddUser] <Boolean>] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
DNSorIP <String>: The DNS or IP for the VMware ESXi host.
Username <String>: The user name for the ESXi host.
RootPassword <String>: The root password for the ESXi host.
UserPassword [<String>]: The user password for the ESXi host.
Port [<Int>]: The SSH Port for the ESXi host.
AddUser [<Boolean>]: Add user if the user does not exist.

Add-EsxHost -DNSorIP 10.6.20.20 -Username root -RootPassword

p@ssw0rd
This command adds an ESXi host to the inventory.
Related links
Add-VirtualCenter
Add-FTPRepository
Description
Adds an FTP repository to vRanger. The repository can be later used to store backup files
from backup jobs.
Syntax
Add-FtpRepository [-Server] <String> [[-Port] <Int32>]

[-TargetDirectory] <String> [-User] <String> [-Password] <String>
[[-TimeOut] <Int16>] [-Name] <String> [[-Description] <String>]
[[-Overwrite] <Boolean>] [[-EnableEncryption] <Boolean>]
[[-EncryptionPassword] <String>] [[-ImportOption] <String>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
186
Parameters
Examples
Server <String>: The FTP Server FQDN or IP.
Port [<Int>]: The FTP Server Port.
TargetDirectory [<String>]: The FTP Target Directory.
User <String>: The FTP user name.
Password <String>: The FTP Password.
TimeOut [<short>]: Timeout value.
Name <String>: A friendly name describing this FTP server.
Description [<String>]: The Description describing the FTP server.

exists.
EnableEncryption [<Boolean>]: Whether to enable Encryption.
EncryptionPassword <String>: The Encryption Password.

read-only. Possible options ReadOnly and ReadWrite.

Add-FtpRepository -Server myserver.dev.corp -TargetDirectory mydir

-User myname -Password mypassword -Name myrepo -Overwrite 1
This command adds a repository on server myserver.dev.corp pointing to a storage unit
named mystorage using the credentials provided. Existing repositories at the location
specified are overwritten.
Related links
Add-CIFSRepository
Add-HypervCluster
Add-NVSDRepository
Add-SFTPRepository
Add-HypervCluster
Description
Adds a Hyper-V Cluster to the inventory.
Syntax
Add-HypervCluster [-DNSorIP] <String> [-Username] <String>

[-Password] <String> [[-Port] <Int32>] [[-IsInstallAgent]
<Boolean>] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
DNSorIP <String>: The DNS or IP for the Hyper-V cluster.
Username <String>: The user name to add the Hyper-V cluster.
Password <String>: The password to add the Hyper-V cluster.
Port [<Int32>]: The port to add the Hyper-V cluster.
IsInstallAgent [<Boolean>]: Install agent on cluster.

Add-HypervCluster -DNSorIP 10.6.20.20 -Username user1 -Password

p@ssw0rd
This command adds a Hyper-V cluster to the inventory.
Related links
vAPI Cmdlet details
187
Add-HypervHost
Description
Adds a Hyper-V host to the inventory.
Syntax
Add-HypervHost [-DNSorIP] <String> [-Username] <String> [-Password]

<String> [[-Port] <Int32>] [[-IsInstallAgent] <Boolean>]
Parameters
Examples
DNSorIP <String>: The DNS or IP for the Hyper-V host.
Username <String>: The user name to add the Hyper-V host.
Password <String>: The password to add the Hyper-V host.
Port [<Int32>]: The port to add the Hyper-V host.
IsInstallAgent [<Boolean>]: Install agent on host.

-OutBuffer, and OutVariable. For more information, type: "get-help
Add-HypervHost -DNSorIP 10.6.20.20 -Username user1 -Password

p@ssw0rd
This command adds a Hyper-V host to the inventory.
Related links
Add-HypervRestoreJobTemplate
Description
Adds a Hyper-V restore job template. Users also have the option of running the job
immediately after the template is created.
Syntax
Add-HypervRestoreJobTemplate [-JobName] <String>

[[-JobDescription] <String>] [-SavePoint] <Savepoint>
[[-JobSchedule] <Schedule>] [[-Flags] <NoFlags | ForceOverwrite |
ForcePowerOn | UseFiber | PerformNetworkRestoreOnFailure |
AddHypervVirtualMachineToCluster | AllFlags>] [[-NotificationList]
<List`1>] [[-RunJobNow] <Boolean>] [[-VMName] <String>]
[[-TargetHost] <String>] [[-VmLocation] <String>] [[-SkipDisks]
<List`1>] [[-DiskLocations] <List`1>] [[-TargetNetworks] <List`1>]
[[-SkipAdapters] <List`1>] [<CommonParameters>]

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Parameters
SavePoint <Savepoint>: Savepoint to restore.
JobSchedule [<Schedule>]: Schedule on which the job runs. If not set, the job
runs on demand.
Flags [<RestoreFlags>]: Restore flags. If not set, the job has no flags.
NotificationList [<List`1>]: Separate multiple email addresses with commas.
RunJobNow [<Boolean>]: Whether to run the job now. If not set, the job does
not run immediately after creation of the template.
VMName [<String>]: Name of the restored VM. If not set, the VM name in the
savepoint is used.
TargetHost [<String>]: Fully qualified domain name or IP address of the target

host.
VmLocation [<String>]: Location on target host where the restored VM is

located. If not set, the default for the host is used.
SkipDisks [<List`1>]: Sequence number base 0 of the disks to skip from the
savepoint. Separate multiple numbers with commas.
DiskLocations [<List`1>]: Disk locations to use on the target host. Separate

multiple values with commas. If only one is supplied, it is used for all disks on the
VM. If not set, the default disk location for the host is used for all disks.
TargetNetworks [<List`1>]: Networks to use on the target host. Separate

multiple values with commas. If only one network name is provided, it is used for
all adapters on the VM. If not set, the original networks are used when restoring
to the original VM.
SkipAdapters [<List`1>]: Sequence number base 0 of the adapters to skip in

the restore job. Separate multiple numbers with commas.


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Examples
--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------$repo = get-repository |where{$_.name -eq 'local'}

$spList = get-repositorysavepoint $repo.id
$mysp = ($spList)[1]
Add-RestoreJobTemplate -Jobname vapirestore -Savepoint $mysp
This command creates a restore job template that restores to the original VM in the
savepoint. The job runs on demand.
$sp = get-repositorysavepoint $repo.id
$mysp = ($sp)[0]
$targethost = get-inventoryentities -type HypervHost |
where{$_.name -eq 'dev 015.dev.eng.int'}
$targetDiskLocation = 'c:\hyper-virtual hard disks
$targetnw = get-network -host $targethost|where{$_.Name -eq
'Virtual Machine Network'}
Add-RestoreJobTemplate -jobname vapirestore_totaraget -savepoint
$mysp -targethost $targethost.name -DiskLocations
$targetDiskLocation -VmLocation 'c:\hyper-v\configuration'
-targetnetworks $targetnw.name
This command creates a restore job template that restores to the specified target host.
It also specifies disk location, vm location, and the network to use on the target host.
$mysp = ($sp)[0]
where{$_.name -eq 'dev015.dev.eng.int'}
$skipdisks = '0'
Add-RestoreJobTemplate -jobname vapirestore_skipdisk -savepoint
-targetnetworks $targetnw.name -SkipDisks $skipdisk s
The first disk (0) in the savepoint is skipped by the restore job.
Related links
Add-RdaRepository
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate

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Add-NFSRepository
.
Description
Adds a Network File Share repository to vRanger. The repository can be later used to
store backup files from backup jobs.
Syntax
Add-NfsRepository [-Server] <String> [-ExportDirectory] <String>

[-TargetDirectory] <String> [-Name] <String> [[-Description]
<String>] [[-Overwrite][<Boolean>]] [[-EnableEncryption]
[<Boolean>]] [[-EncryptionPassword] <String>] [[-BlockSize] <Int>]
[[-EnableCompress] [<Boolean>]] [[-ImportOption] [<String>]]
Parameters
Examples
Server <String>: The NFS Server FQDN or IP.
ExportDirectory <String>: The NFS Export Directory.
TargetDirectory <String>: The NFS Target Directory.
Name <String>: A friendly name describing this NFS server.
Description <String>: The Description describing the NFS server.

exists.
EnableEncryption [<Boolean>]: Whether to enable encryption on backups on this

repository.
EncryptionPassword <String>: The encryption Password.

read only. Possible options ReadOnly and ReadWrite.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Add-NfsRepository -Server myserver.dev.corp -ExportDirectory

/vol/vol1 -TargetDirectory /test -Name MyNFSRepo -Overwrite 1
This command adds a repository on server myserver.dev.corp. Existing repositories at the
location specified are overwritten.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Add-NfsRepository -Server myserver.dev.corp -ExportDirectory
/vol/vol1 -TargetDirectory /test -Name MyNFSRepo -EnableEncryption
1 -EncryptionPassword myPassword -EnableCompress 1
This command adds a repository on server myserver.dev.corp. Enables encryption on
backups of this repository. All backups to this repository are compressed.
Related links
Add-DdbRepository
Add-NVSDRepository
Add-CIFSRepository
Add-SFTPRepository
Add-FTPRepository

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Add-NVSDRepository
Description
Adds a Dell NetVault SmartDisk repository to vRanger. The repository can be later used to
store backup files from backup jobs.
Syntax
Add-NvsdRepository [-Server] <String> [-TargetDirectory] <String>

Parameters
Examples
Server <String>: The NetVault SmartDisk server FQDN or IP.
TargetDirectory [<String>]: The NetVault SmartDisk Target Directory.
User <String>: The NetVault SmartDisk user name.
Password <String>: The NetVault SmartDisk Password.
Name <String>: A friendly name describing this NetVault SmartDisk server.
Description <String>: The Description describing the NetVault SmartDisk server.

exists.


Add-NvsdRepository -Serve r myserver -User myname -Password

mypassword -Name reponame -tagetDirectory /targetDirectoryName
-Overwrite 1
This command adds a repository on server myserver pointing to a target directory named
targetDirectoryName using the credentials provided. Existing repositories at the
Related links
Add-DdbRepository
Add-HypervCluster
Add-CIFSRepository
Add-SFTPRepository
Add-FTPRepository
Add-PhysicalMachine
Description
Adds a physical machine to the inventory.
Syntax
Add-PhysicalMachine [-DNSorIP] <String> [-Username] <String>

[-Password] <String> [[-Port] <Int>] [-IsInstallAgent] <Boolean>]
[[-AgentLocation] <String>] [<CommonParameters>]

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Parameters
Examples
DNSorIP <String>: The DNS or IP for the physical machine.
Username <String>: The user name to add the physical machine.
Password <String>: The password to add the physical machine.
Port [<Int>]: The port to add the physical machine.
IsInstallAgent [<Boolean>]: Install Agent on machine.
AgentLocation [<String>]: Agent installation location.

-Debug,-ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, and -OutVariable. For more information,
Add-PhysicalMachine -DNSorIP 10.6.20.20 -Username user1 -Password

p@ssw0rd
This command adds a replication job template.
Related links
Add-RdaRepository
Description
Adds an RDA repository to vRanger. The repository can be later used to store backup files
from backup jobs.
Syntax
Add-RdaRepository [-Server] <String> [-StorageUnit] <String>

Parameters
Examples
Server <String>: The DR Series server FQDN or IP.
StorageUnit [<String>]: The RDA logical storage unit.
User <String>: The user name to access the DR Series server.
Password <String>: The Password to access the DR Series server.
Name <String>: A friendly name describing this DR Series server.
Description <String>: The Description describing the NetVault SmartDisk server.

exists.


Add-RdaRepository -Server myserver -StorageUnit mystorage -User

myname -Password mypassword -Name reponame -targetDirectory
/targetDirectoryName -Overwrite 1
This command adds a repository on server myserver pointing to a target directory named
targetDirectoryName using the credentials provided. Existing repositories at the
Related links
Get-Repository
Add-DdbRepository
Add-CIFSRepository
Add-SFTPRepository
Add-FTPRepository
Add-NVSDRepository

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Add-ReplicationJobTemplate
Description
Adds a replication job template. You also have the option of running the job immediately
after the template is created.
Syntax
Add-ReplicationJobTemplate [-JobName] <String> [[-JobDescription]

<String>] [-JobEntity] <VMEntity> [-TargetHost] <HostEntity>
[-ReplicateName] <String> [-Type] <String> [[-TargetNetworks]
<String>] [[-PrimaryDatastore] <String>] [[-TargetDatastores]
<String>] [[-JobSchedule] <Schedule>] [[-TransportFailover]
<String>] [[-NotificationList] <String>] [-Flags] <NoFlags |
ReplicatePoweredOnOnly | CheckDestinationFreeSpace | UseCompression
| UpdateNotes | EnableGuestQuiescing | EnableABM | AllFlags>
[[-RunJobNow] <Boolean>] [[-IncludedDisk] <String>]
Parameters
JobEntity <VMEntity>: VM entity on which the job runs.
TargetHost <HostEntity>: Target Host entity to which the VM is replicated.
ReplicateName [<String>]: Name of replicated VM.
Type <String>: Replication type. Valid types are Differential and Hybrid.
TargetNetworks [<String>]: Networks to use on the target host. Separate

multiple values with commas.
PrimaryDatastore <String>: Primary Datastore on target host where the

replicated VM is to be located.
TargetDatastores [<String>]: Datastores to use on the target host. Separate

JobSchedule <Schedule>: The recurrence schedule on which the job runs.
TransportFailover [<String>]: Transport Failover order separated by commas to

be attempted until the task is successful. Valid types are VA-HotAdd and VANetwork.
NotificationList [<String>]: Email notification list for the job. Separate multiple
email addresses with commas.
Flags <ReplicationFlags>: Replication flags: NoFlags, ReplicatePoweredOnOnly,

CheckDestinationFreeSpace, UseCompression, UpdateNotes,
EnableGuestQuiescing, AllFlags. Separate multiple flags with pipes (|).
RunJobNow [<Boolean>]: Whether to run the job immediately after the job
IncludedDisk [<String>]: List of disks to include in this job. All VM disks are
replicated if none is specified.


vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Add-ReplicationJobTemplate -JobName vRepJob1 -JobEntity $vm

-TargetHost $targethost -ReplicateName TestRep -Type Differential
-Flags $flags -targetDatastores MyDatastore1, MyDatastore2
-PrimaryDatastore MyDatastore -targetnetworks VMNetwork
-TransportFailover VA-HotAdd, VA-Network -RunJobNow 1 -includeddisk
0,2,4
This command adds a replication job template.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Add-ReplicationJobTemplate -JobName vRepJob1 -JobEntity $vm
-TargetHost $targethost -ReplicateName TestRep -Type Differential
-Flags $flags -targetDatastores MyDatastore1, MyDatastore2
-PrimaryDatastore MyDatastore -targetnetworks VMNetwork
-includeddisk 0,1,2
This command adds a replication job template. Because the RunJobNow flag is not
specified, the job does not run immediately. Because no transport failover is specified,
the default order of transport failovers is used.
Related links
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate
Add-RestoreFromManifestJobTemplate
Description
Adds a restore job template from a manifest file. The manifest file can be a vRanger
manifest file or a Legacy vRanger manifest file. You also have the option of running the
job immediately after the template is created.
Syntax
Add-RestorefromManifestJobTemplate [-JobName] <String>

[[-JobDescription] <String>] [-Username] <String> [-Password]
<String> [-ManifestPath] <String> [[-EncryptionPassword] <String>]
[[-JobSchedule] <Schedule>] [[-Flags] <No Flags | ForceOverwrite |
ForcePowerOn | UseFiber | PerformNetworkRestoreOnFailure |
AllFlags>] [[-NotificationList] <String>] [[-RunJobNow]
<Boolean>][[-VMName] <String>] [[-TargetHost]
<String>][[-PrimaryDatastore] <String>] [[-SkipDisks] <String>]
[[-TargetDatastores] <String>] [[-TargetNetworks] <String>]
[[-SkipAdapters] <String>][[-TransportConfiguration]
<TransportConfiguration>] [<CommonParameters>]

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Parameters
Username <String>: Username.
Password <String>: Password.
ManifestPath <String>: Path for the manifest file.
EncryptionPassword [<String>]: Encryption Password.
runs on demand.
Flags [<RestoreFlags>]: Restore flags. If not set, the job has no flags.
NotificationList [<String>]: Separate multiple email addresses with commas.
savepoint is used.

host.
PrimaryDatastore [<String>]: Datastore on target host where the restored VM is

located. If not set, the original primary datastore is used when restoring to the
original VM; otherwise the application randomly selects a datastore attached to
the target host.
SkipDisks [<String>]: Sequence number base 0 of the disks to skip from the
savepoint. Disks in savepoint are order by their SCSI controller number and disk
number. Separate multiple numbers with commas.

VM. If not set, the original datastores are used when restoring to the original VM;
otherwise the application randomly selects a datastore attached to the target
host.

to the original VM; otherwise the application randomly selects a network attached
to the target host.
SkipAdapters [<String>]: Sequence number base 0 of the adapters to skip in




vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------$skipdisks = '0'

$skipnetworks = '0'
Add-RestorefromManifestJobTemplate -jobname vapirestore_manifest
-username user1 -password Password1 -VmName Test -manifestpath
\\pathtomanifestfile\XYZ-FreeDos_501ec05f-6088-5a14-8ae5483bef2e054f\XYZ-FreeDos_20100302_085918_22c5f3ee-9a09-47ae-8a70dae9233e5776\XYZ-FreeDos_20100302_085918_F.Manifest.metadata
-targethost $targethost.name -targetDatastores $targetds.name
-PrimaryDatastore $targetds.name -targetnetworks $targetnw.name
-Flags $flags -SkipDisks $skipdisks -Skipadapters $skipnetworks
-RunJobNow 1
This command creates a restore job template from a manifest file that restores to the
specified target host. It also specifies the datastore and network to use on the target
host. The first disk (0) in the savepoint and first adapter of the VM are skipped by the
restore job.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Add-RestorefromManifestJobTemplate -jobname vapirestore_manifest
\\pathtomanifestfile\pintsize_20090724093457\pintsize.info
-Flags $flags -RunJobNow 1
This command creates a restore job template from a legacy manifest file that restores to
the specified target host. It also specifies datastore and network to use on the target
host.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------Add-RestorefromManifestJobTemplate -jobname vapirestore_manifest
-username user1 -password Password1 -encryptionpassword encryptPwd
-VmName Test -manifestpath \\pathtomanifestfile\XYZFreeDos_501ec05f-6088-5a14-8ae5-483bef2e054f\XYZFreeDos_20100302_085918_22c5f3ee-9a09-47ae-8a70-dae9233e5776\XYZFreeDos_20100302_085918_F.Manifest.metadata -targethost
$targethost.name -targetDatastores $targetds.name
This command creates a restore job template from an encrypted savepoint in the
manifest file that restores to the specified target host. It also specifies datastore and
network to use on the target host.

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Examples
(continued)

$targethost = get-inventoryentities -type EsxHost | where{$_.name
-eq 'dev015.dev.eng.int'} $targetds = get-datastore $targethost |
where{$_.Name -eq 'Dynamo-ISCSI'}
$flags = New-RestoreFlag -ForceOverwrite 1
Add-RestorefromManifestJobTemplate -jobname vapirestore_manifest
\\pathtomanifestfile\XYZ-FreeDos_501ec05f-6088-5a14-8ae5483bef2e054f\XYZ-FreeDos_20100302_085918_22c5f3ee-9a09-47ae-8a70dae9233e5776\XYZ-FreeDos_20100302_085918_F.Manifest.metadata
This command creates a restore job template from a manifest file that restores to the
specified target host. It also specifies datastore and network to use on the target host.
Related links
Description
Adds a restore job template. You also have the option of running the job immediately
after the template is created.
Syntax
Add-RestoreJobTemplate [-JobName] <String> [[-JobDescription]

<String>] [-SavePoint] <Savepoint> [[-JobSchedule] <Schedule>]
[[-Flags] <NoFlags | ForceOverwrite | ForcePowerOn | UseFiber |
PerformNetworkRestoreOnFailure | AddHypervVirtualMachineToCluster
| AllFlags>] [[-NotificationList] <List`1>] [[-RunJobNow]
<Boolean>] [[-VMName] <String>] [[-TargetHost] <String>]
[[-PrimaryDatastore] <String>] [[-SkipDisks] <List`1>]
[[-TargetDatastores] <List`1>] [[-TargetNetworks] <List`1>]
[[-SkipAdapters] <List`1>] [[-TransportConfiguration]
<TransportConfiguration>] [[-PhysicalMachineIP] <String>]
[[-RestoreDiskMapping] <Hashtable>] [<CommonParameters>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Parameters
JobSchedule [<Schedule>]: Schedule on which the job should run. If not set, the
job runs on demand.
Flags [<RestoreFlags>]: Restore flags. If not set, NoFlag. Restore flags: NoFlags,
AllFlags, ForceOverwrite, ForcePowerOn. Separate multiple flags with pipes (|).
savepoint is used.

host.

the target host.

V M. If not set, the original datastores are used when restoring to the original VM;
otherwise the application randomly selects a data store attached to the target
host.

to the target host.

TransportConfiguration: The transport configuration options to use for this job.
PhysicalMachineIP [<String>]: Physical machine IP address when booted to

restore CD to perform the restore to. It must be booted to the restore CD.
RestoreDiskMapping [<Hashtable>]: Which disk in the repository is mapped to

corresponding disks in the physical machine.


vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples

$mysp = ($sp)[0]
-eq 'dev015.dev.eng.int'}
$targetds = get-datastore $targethost | where{$_.Name -eq 'DynamoISCSI'}
$skipdisks = '0'
$mysp -targethost $targethost.name -targetDatastores $targetds.name
-SkipDisks $skipdisks
savepoint. The job runs on-demand.
$mysp = ($sp)[0]
It also specifies datastore and network to use on the target host.

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
(continued)

$mysp = ($sp)[0]
$skipnetworks = '0'
-Skipadapters $skipnetworks
The first adapter of the VM in the savepoint is skipped by the restore job.
--------------------EXAMPLE 5-------------------$myInv = Get-InventoryEntities -Type physicalMachine
$myPM = $myInv | where { $_.OriginatingConnection -eq
'10.6.51.178'}n# the physical machine must be booted to the restore
CD for this to work.
$myDiskMap = Get-PhysicalMachineDiskMap $myPM
$myRepo = Get-Repository -Type nfs
$sp = Get-RepositorySavePoint -Id $myRepo.Id
$mySP = ($sp)[0]
$myManifest = Get-SavepointManifest -Id $mySP.id
# Get the mapped physical disks that are the target of the manifest
file map entry when the job is run.
# This cmdlet matches the disks by size.
$myRestoreDiskMap = Get-RestoreDiskMap -ManifestFile $myManifest
-PhysicalDiskMap $myDiskMap
# the user can do something like:
# $myRestoreDiskMap[$myManifest.FileMaps[0]] =
$myDiskMap.PhysicalDisks[1]
# if they want to manually change which disk gets written to by the
restore.
Add-RestoreJobTemplate -JobName Restore178fromNFS -physicalMachine
$myPM -RestoreDiskMap $myRestoreDiskMap -SavePoint $mySP
This command creates a restore job template that restores to the specified target
physical machine. The restore disk map is a hashtable that has File Map entries from the
savepoint as a key and Physical Disk Entities designating which disks should be restored
to on the physical machine.
Related links
Add-PhysicalMachine
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Add-SFTPRepository
Description
Adds an SFTP repository to vRanger. The repository can be later used to store backup
files from backup jobs.
Syntax
Add-SftpRepository [-Server] <String> [[-Port]

[<Int>]][[-TargetDirectory] [<String>]] [-User] <String>
[-Password] <String>[[-TimeOut] [<short>]] [-Name] <String>
[[-Description] [<String>]] [[-Overwrite] [<Boolean>]]
[[-EnableEncryption] [<Boolean>]][[-EncryptionPassword]
[<String>]] [[-EnableCompress] [<Boolean>]] [[-ImportOption]
[<String>]] [<CommonParameters>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Parameters
Examples
Server <String>: The SFTP Server FQDN or IP.
Port [<Int>]: The SFTP Server Port.
TargetDirectory [<String>]: The SFTP Target Directory.
User <String>: The SFTP user name.
Password <String>: The SFTP Password.
TimeOut [<short>]: Timeout value.
Name <String>: A friendly name describing this SFTP server.
Description [<String>]: The Description describing the SFTP server.

exists.
EnableEncryption [<Boolean>]: Whether to enable Encryption.
EncryptionPassword <String>: The Encryption Password.


Add-SftpRepository -Server myserver.dev.corp -TargetDirectory mydir

-User myname -Password mypassword -Name myrepo
This command adds a repository on server myserver.dev.corp pointing to directory
named mydir using the credentials provided.
Related links
Add-DdbRepository
Add-CIFSRepository
Add-HypervCluster
Add-NVSDRepository
Add-FTPRepository
Description
This command is obsolete and has been replaced with Add-VirtualAppforLinuxFLRVA.
Related links
Description
Adds a VA to perform Linux FLR.
Syntax
Add-VirtualAppforLinuxFLRVA [-VirtualApplianceUUID] <String>

Parameters
VirtualApplianceUUID <String>: VA UUID.

Examples
Add-VirtualAppforLinuxFLRVA -VirtualApplianceUUID 564d8ab2-6c7f5915-0a94-b224b5a71570
Related links
None
vAPI Cmdlet details
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Add-VirtualCenter
Description
Adds a VirtualCenter to the inventory.
Syntax
Add-VirtualCenter [-DNSorIP] <String> [-Username] <String>

[-UserPassword] <String> [[-Port] [<Int>]] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
DNSorIP <String>: The DNS or IP for the VirtualCenter.
Username <String>: The user name for the VirtualCenter.
UserPassword <String>: The password for the VirtualCenter.
Port [<Int>]: The SDK Port for the VirtualCenter.

Add-VirtualCenter -DNSorIP 10.6.20.20 -Username administrator

-RootPassword p@ssw0rd
This command adds a VirtualCenter to the inventory.
Related links
Add-DdbRepository
Disable-Job
Description
Disables enabled jobs.
Syntax
Disable-Job [-JobTemplateIDs] <GUID[]> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
JobTemplateIDs <GUID[]>: Job template IDs for which to enable jobs. Disable
multiple jobs by passing in comma-separated job template IDs.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Disable-Job -JobTemplateId 'F9C9E458-8E06-498D-8C2C-03CBE5515FD4'

This command disables the job if it is enabled and returns the job template entity.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------$jobs = Get-JobTemplate | where {$_.IsEnabled -eq 1}
Disable-Job $jobs[0].Id
This command disables the first enabled job in the list and returns the job template
entity.
Related links
Enable-Job
Get-JobTemplate
Remove-JobTemplate
Description
Unmounts VAR disk from the Linux FLR VA.
Syntax
Dismount-LinuxVolume [<CommonParameters>]
vAPI Cmdlet details
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Parameters

-Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, and -OutVariable. For more information, type: "gethelp about_commonparameters"
Examples
Related links
Mount-LinuxVolume
Enable-Job
Description
Enables disabled jobs.
Syntax
Enable-Job [-JobTemplateIDs] <GUID[]> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
JobTemplateIDs <GUID[]>: Job template IDs for which to enable jobs.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Enable-Job -JobTemplateId 'F9C9E458-8E06-498D-8C2C-03CBE5515FD4'

This command enables the job if it is disabled and returns the job template entity.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------$jobs = Get-JobTemplate | where {$_.IsEnabled -eq 0}
Enable-Job $jobs[0].Id
This command enables the first disabled job in the list and returns the job template
entity.
Related links
Disable-Job
Get-JobTemplate
Remove-JobTemplate
Get-AddressBook
Description
Gets a list of email addresses from the address book.
Syntax
Get-Addressbook [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters

Examples
Get-Addressbook
Related links
New-EmailAddress
Description
Returns a list of backup group entities.
Syntax
Get-BackupGroupEntity [<CommonParameters>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Parameters

Examples
--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Get-BackupGroupEntity
This command gets a list of all backup group entities.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Get-BackupGroupEntity | where{$_.Name -eq 'BackupGroupName'}
This command gets a list of backup groups by name.
Related links
None
Description
Returns the list of results for the matched search string, repositories, and VMs.
Syntax
Get-CatalogSearchData [-SearchText] <String> [[-RepositoryList]

[<String>]] [[-VMList] [-Type] <Entity>] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
SearchText <String>: Search string.
RepositoryList [<Repository[]>]: Filter by Repositories. If not specified, all

repositories are searched.
VMList [<Entity[]>]: Filter by entities. If not specified, all entities are searched.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Get-CatalogSearchdata -SearchText abcd

Gets the result set from the catalog database for matched search text. No repository or
machine filtering is applied.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------$repo = Get-Repository | where {$_.Name -eq 'Repo1'}
$vmList = Get-InventoryEntities -Type VirtualMachine | {$_.Name -eq
'VM1'}
Get-CatalogSearchdata -SearchText abcd -RepositoryList $repo
-VMList $vm
Gets the result set from the catalog database for matched search text file read by
repository and machine.
Related links
Remove-Catalog
Get-CatalogStatus
Set-Cataloging
Get-CatalogStatus
Description
Gets the active status of Catalog for a list of savepoints.
Syntax
Get-CatalogStatus [-Savepoints] <GUID[]> [<CommonParameters>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Parameters
Examples
Savepoints <GUID[]>: List of Savepoint IDs.

Get-CatalogStatus -Savepoints 5a62765e-6a04-4df4-af54-46e5a38ad876

Gets the active status of the catalog data for the associated savepoint.
Related links
Remove-Catalog
Set-Cataloging
Get-ConfigOption
Description
Returns the config option values for a specified type.
Syntax
Get-Configoption [-Type] <String> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Type <String>: Valid types are Database, Email, Resources, Timeout, General,
LinuxFLR, and Cataloging.

Examples
Get-Configoption -Type Resources
Related links
Set-Resources
Set-Cataloging
Get-Connection
Description
Returns connection objects to Hosts or VirtualCenters. Without parameters, it returns all

configured connections in vRanger. You can also get connections by name or type. Using
the two parameters in the same command return an error.
Syntax
Get-Connection [[-Name] [<String>]] [[-Type] [<String>]]

Parameters
Name [<String>]: The name or IP address of the VMware ESXi host, VMware
vCenter, Hyper-V host, or Hyper-V cluster.
Type [<String>]: Connection type: EsxHost, VirtualCenter, HypervHost,

HypervCluster, or All.

type: get-help about_commonparameters

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Get-Connection -type HypervHost

This command gets a list of all Hyper-V host connections.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Get-Connection
This command gets a list of all vRanger loaded connections.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------Get-Connection -Name myhost.dev.corp
This command returns a connection to the specified host.
--------------------EXAMPLE 4-------------------Get-Connection -type EsxHost
This command gets a list of all ESXi host connections.
Related links
None
Get-CurrentTemplateVersionID
Description
Returns the current template version ID of a job template based on a historic template
version ID. A new template version ID is assigned to the job template when it is modified.
Syntax
Get-CurrentTemplateVersionID [-TemplateVersionID] [<String>]

Parameters
Examples
TemplateVersionID <GUID>: Template version ID.

Get-CurrentTemplateVersionID 6baedeed-227a-4350-ba3f-470f9e90dc07
This command returns the current template version ID of the job template referenced by
the input template version ID.
Related links
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate
Get-Datastore
Description
Returns all datastores associated with the specified host.
Syntax
Get-Datastore [-Host] <HostEntity> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
Host <HostEntity>: The host object.

Get-Datastore -Host $host

This command returns a list of datastores associated with the host.
Related links
Get-MonitorLog

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Description
Gets the default Transport Failover order for replication jobs.
Syntax
Get-GlobalTransportFailover [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters

Examples
Related links
This command gets the default Transport Failover order for replication jobs.
Description
Returns a list of inventory entities based on the input repository type. The command
returns all inventory entities if no type is provided. You can also get inventory entities by
type. There is a performance delay if all types are requested or no type is specified.
Syntax
Get-InventoryEntities [[-Type] <String>] [[-Block] <Boolean>]

[[-Thin] <Boolean>][<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
Type [<String>]: Inventory entity type: All, ClusterComputeResource,

ComputeResource, DataCenter, EsxHost, Folder, HypervCluster, HypervHost,
HypervVirtualMachine, ResourcePool, VirtualCenter, VirtualMachine, VirtualApp,
PhysicalMachine.
Block [<Boolean>]: If set to true, the call blocks if inventory is being refreshed
until it is done. Possible timeout might occur on large inventory sets.
Thin [<Boolean>]: If set to true, the call returns thin inventory objects.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Get-InventoryEntities - Type HypervHost

This command gets a list of all inventory entities.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Get-InventoryEntities -Type EsxHost
This command gets a list of all loaded VMware ESXi host entities.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------Get-InventoryEntities
This command gets a list of all inventory entities.
Related links
None

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Get-IsInventoryRefreshing
Description
Returns true or false based on whether the inventory is refreshing at the time the
cmdlet is run.
Syntax
Get-IsInventoryRefreshing [[-Type] <String>] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
Type [<String>]: Inventory entity type to check: All, VMware, Hyper-V

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Get-IsInventoryRefreshing -Type Hyperv

This command returns true if Hyper-V is refreshing.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Get-IsInventoryRefreshing
This command returns true if any inventory entity is refreshing.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------Get-IsInventoryRefreshing -Type VMware
This command returns true if VMware is refreshing.
Related links
None
Get-Job
Description
Returns jobs. Without parameters, Get-Job returns all past and current jobs. You can also
get jobs by JobState within a time span or JobTemplateIDs. If JobTemplateIDs are
specified, no other parameters can be used.
Syntax
Get-Job [[-StartTime] [<String>]] [[-EndTime] [<String>]]

[[-JobState] [<String>]] [[-JobTemplateIDs] [<String>]]
Parameters
EndTime [<String>]: End time of time period.
StartTime [<String>]: Start time of time period.
JobState [<String>]: Job state: Queued, Running, Completed or All.
JobTemplateIDs [<String>]: Job template IDs for which to retrieve jobs. Separate
multiple IDs with commas.


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Examples
--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Get-Job
This command returns jobs in all states.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Get-Job -JobState Running
This command returns all running jobs.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------Get-Job -starttime 2009-03-30 -endtime 2009-03-31 -JobState
Completed
This command returns completed jobs that started during the specified time span.
--------------------EXAMPLE 4-------------------Get-Job -JobTemplateIDs d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4-a0c22412999735f3,d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4-a0c2-2412990005f3
This command returns jobs based on the specified template ID.
Related links
Get-JobTemplate
Get-JobTemplate
Description
Returns a list of all jobs, on demand and scheduled (job templates). Without parameters,
the command returns all job templates. You can also get job templates by Type or
Inventory IDs.
Syntax
Get-JobTemplate [[-Type] <String>] [[-InventoryIds] <String[]>]

[[-Thin] <Boolean>] [[-ID] <String>] [-VersionID] <String>]
Parameters
Type [<String>]: Specifies the type of job template to retrieve: Backup, Restore,
or All.
InventoryIds [<String>]: The inventory nodes virtualization object ref IDs.

Separate multiple IDs with commas.
Thin [<Boolean>]: Whether to return a thin version of job templates. Returning

thin objects can speed up commands and avoid performance-related errors. By
default, full objects are returned.
ID [<String>]: Job template ID.
VersionID [<String>]: Job template version ID.


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Examples
--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Get-JobTemplate
This command gets a list of all job templates.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Get-JobTemplate -type Backup
This command gets a list of all backup jobs.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------Get-JobTemplate -InventoryIds d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4-a0c22412999735f3,d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4-a0c2-24
12990005f3 -Type Backup
This command returns backup job templates in the specified inventories.
Related links
Get-Job
Get-MonitorLog
Description
Displays the vRanger Windows error events.
Syntax
Get-MonitorLog [[-EventId] <Int32>] [[-StartDateTime] <DateTime>]

[[-EndDateTime] <DateTime>] [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorAction
<ActionPreference>] [-WarningAction <ActionPreference>]
[-ErrorVariable <String>] [-WarningVariable <String>] [-OutVariable
<String>] [-OutBuffer <Int32>] [-WhatIf] [-Confirm]
Parameters
EventId <Int32>: Filter by event ID.
StartDateTime <DateTime>: Filter based on the start time.
EndDateTime <DateTime>: Filter based on the end time.
Examples
get-monitorlog -eventid 1000
Related links
None
Get-Network
Description
Returns all networks associated with the host specified.
Syntax
Get-Network [-Host] <HostEntity> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
Host <HostEntity>: The host object.

Get-Network -Host $host

This command returns a list of networks associated with the host.
Related links
Get-Datastore

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Description
Creates a Physical Machine disk map to be used in AddRestoreJobTemplate.
Syntax
Get-PhysicalMachineDiskMap [-RestoreCDIP] <String>

Parameters
Examples
RestoreCDIP <String>: The physical machine IP address as shown when it is

booted to the restore CD.

GetPhysicalMachineDiskMap -RestoreCDIP $IP

Creates a Physical Machine disk map to be used in AddRestoreJobTemplate.
Related links
Get-Repository
Description
Returns repositories configured in vRanger. Without parameters, "Get-Repository" gets all

repositories configured in vRanger. You can also get repositories by Name or Type. Using
the two parameters in the same command returns an error.
Syntax
Get-Repository [[-Id] [<String>]] [[-Type] <String>]

Parameters
Examples
Type <String>: Specifies the type of repository to retrieve: CIFS, SFTP, FTP, NFS,
NVSD, DDB, or ALL.
Id <String>: Repository ID in GUID.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Get-Repository
This command gets a list of all vRanger repositories.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Get-Repository -id 034538e5-58a7-4d28-89c9-3249b620064a
This command a repository with the specified ID.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------Get-Repository -type CIFS
This command gets a list of all CIFS repositories.
Related links
Add-CIFSRepository
Add-DdbRepository
Add-FTPRepository
Add-HypervCluster
Add-SFTPRepository
Remove-Repository

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Get-RepositoryJob
Description
Returns a list of associated jobs based on the input repository ID.
Syntax
Get-RepositoryJob [-RepositoryId] <String> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
RepositoryId <String>: Repository ID in GUID.

Get-RepositoryJob -RepositoryId 034538e5-58a7-4d28-89c93249b620064a

This command returns a list of jobs associated with the repository with the specified ID.
Related links
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate
Description
Returns a list of savepoints in the repository. All savepoints in the repository are returned
if no time parameter is specified.
Syntax
Get-RepositorySavePoint [-Id] <String> [[-StartTime] [<String>]]

[[-EndTime] [<String>]] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
Id <String>: The repository ID to retrieve information for.
StartTime [<String>]: Start time of timespan during which the savepoints are
complete.
EndTime [<String>]: End time of timespan during which the savepoints are
completed.

Get-RepositorySavePoint -Id 034538e5-58a7-4d28-89c9-3249b620064a

This command returns a list of savepoints associated with the repository with the
specified ID.
Related links
None
Get-RestoreDiskMap
Description
Creates a Hashtable that represents a matching of file map entries from the savepoint
with the disks from a physical machine a RestoreDiskMap.
Syntax
Get-RestoreDiskMap [-PhysicalDiskMap] <PhysicalDiskMap>

[-ManifestFile] <ManifestFile> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
PhysicalDiskMap <PhysicalDiskMap>: The physical machine disk map.
ManifestFile <ManifestFile>: The manifest from the savepoint that contains file
map entries for the disks backed up.

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Examples
Get-RestoreDiskMap -PhysicalDiskMap $physicaldiskMap

-ManifiestFile $manifestFile
This command matches the file map entries to the disks in a physical machine by size and
returns a hash map that you can manipulate by code.
Related links
Get-SavepointDisk
Description
Returns the VM disks that the savepoint contains.
Syntax
Get-SavepointDisk [-Id] <String> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
Id <String>: Savepoint ID in GUID format.

Get-SavePointDisk 91d27db5-4562-4456-918d-b0dc587e0e7f
This command returns all disks that have been backed up into the savepoint specified.
Related links
Get-VMDKVolume
Get-SavepointManifest
Description
Returns manifest of the savepoint.
Syntax
Get-SavePointManifest [-ID] <ID> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
ID <ID>: The Savepoint ID.

Get-SavePointManifest $id
This command returns the savepoint manifest object.
Related links
Get-VMDKVolume
Get-Savepoints
Description
Returns a list of savepoints for a specified BackupJobTemplateID.
Syntax
Get-SavePoints [-BackupJobTemplateID] <GUID> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
BackupJobTemplateID <GUID>: The backup job template ID to retrieve

savepoints for.


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Examples
Get-SavePoints -BackupJobTemplateID 034538e2-58a7-4d28-89c93249b620064a

This command returns a list of savepoints associated with the backup template with the
specified ID.
Related links
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate
Description
Gets the Transport Failover order for replication jobs by TemplateVersion ID.
Syntax
Get-TransportFailover [-TemplateVersionID] <String>

Parameters
Examples
TemplateVersionID <String>: Template version ID for job.

$jobtemplates = Get-JobTemplate -Type Replication

$template = $jobtemplates[0]
Get-TransportFailover -TemplateVersionID
$template.TemplateVersionId
Gets the Transport Failover order for replication jobs by TemplateVersion ID.
Related links
Description
Gets the VirtualApplianceConfig configuration from vRanger.
Syntax
Get-VirtualApplianceConfig [[-VAName] [<String>]] [[-HostName]

[<String>]][<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
VAName [<String>]: The VA Name.
HostName [<String>]: The host name where the VA resides.


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Examples
--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------$va = Get-VirtualApplianceConfig

This command gets all the VA entities.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------$va = Get-VirtualApplianceConfig -VAName ABC-Vzva-1.1.1
This command gets the VA entity for the VA specified.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------$va = Get-VirtualApplianceConfig -HostName xyz.dev.eng.int
This command gets the VA entities for the Host specified.
Related links
Get-VirtualApplianceDeploymentStatus
Description
Gets the status of the re-configuration of VA in progress.
Syntax
Get-VirtualApplianceDeploymentStatus [-DeploymentId] <GUID>

Parameters
Examples
ID <GUID>: Deployment ID for VA.

Get-VirtualApplianceReconfigStatus -Id $deploymentID

This command gets the status of the VA re-configuration.
Related links
Get-VirtualApplianceReconfigStatus
Description
Gets the status of the deployment of VA in progress.
Syntax
Get-VirtualApplianceDeploymentStatus [-DeploymentId] <GUID>

Parameters
Examples
DeploymentId <GUID>: Deployment ID for VA.

Get-VirtualApplianceDeploymentStatus -Id $deploymentID

This command gets the status of the VA deployment in progress.
Related links

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Get-VirtualMachinesUnderInventory
Description
Gets the child VM entities of the entity host, cluster, and so on provided.
Syntax
Get-VirtualMachinesUnderInventory [[-InventoryEntityMoRefId]
[<String>]] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
InventoryEntityMoRefId [<String>]: The MoRef ID of the parent inventory entity.
Thin [<Boolean>]: If set to true, the call returns thin inventory objects.

Get-VirtualMachinesUnderInventoryEntity -InventoryEntityMoRefId
host-16641
The managed object reference ID of an inventory entity node such as a VMware ESXi
host or resource folder.
Related links
Get-VmDisk
Description
Returns a list of VmDisks for the VM list in the same order of the input.
Syntax
Get-VmDisk [-VMList] <VMEntity[]>] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
VMList <VMEntity[]>: A list of VM entities to retrieve disk information for.

Examples
Get-VmDisk -VMList $mylist
Related links
None
This command gets a list of VMDisks objects for the input VM list.
Get-VMDKVolume
Description
Returns all volumes on a certain VM disk.
Syntax
Get-VMDKVolume [-VmdkID] <String> [-Repository] <Repository>

[-RepositoryPassword] <String> [SavepointManifest] <ManifestFile>
Parameters
VmdkID <String>: UUID of the VMDK.
Repository <Repository>: Repository in which the savepoint resides in.
RepositoryPassword <String>: Repository password.
SavepointManifest <ManifestFile>: The savepoint manifest object.


vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
Get-VMDKVolume -vmdkid $diskid -repository $repo

-repositorypassword Password -savepointmanifest $manifest
This command returns all volumes of the specified VMDK.
Related links
None
Install-VirtualAppliance
Description
Deploys a new VA for vRanger.
Syntax
Install-VirtualAppliance [-VAName] <String> [-SelectedHost]

<HostEntity> [-OVFLocation] <String> [-DownloadOVF] <Boolean>
[[-IPAddressOverride] <String>] [[-ClusterDefault] <Boolean>]
[-CPUAllocation] <Int32> [-MemorySizeInMB] <Int64> [-VADatastore]
<Datastore> [-NetworkEntity] <Network> [[-ScratchDiskDatastore]
<Datastore>] [[-ScratchDiskSizeInKB] <Int64>] [[-NewPassword]
<String>] [[-UseVAForLFLR] <Boolean>] [[-PowerOnVA] <Boolean>]
[[-VADeployStatus] <Boolean>] [[-UseDHCP] <Boolean>] [[-NetMask]
<String>] [[-StaticIP] <String>] [[-GateWay] <String>]
[[-UseStaticDNS] <Boolean>] [[-PrimaryDNS] <String>]
[[-SecondaryDNS] <String>] [[-Domain] <String>] [[-Search]

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Parameters
VAName <String>: The VA name.
SelectedHost <HostEntity>: The host to associate the VA with.
OVFLocation <String>: The path to the local OVF.
DownloadOVF <Boolean>: Should the OVF be downloaded?
IPAddressOverride [<String>]: IP Address to use for the VA instead of the one

retrieved from the VirtualCenter API.
ClusterDefault [<Boolean>]: If the selected host belongs to a cluster, share the

VA among all hosts in the cluster.
CPUAllocation <Int>: Allocate CPU.
MemorySizeInMB <Int>: Assign memory in MB.
VADatastore <Datastore>: Select a datastore for the VA.
NetworkEntity <Network>: Select a network for the VA.
ScratchDiskDatastore [<Datastore>]: Select a datastore for the scratch disk.
ScratchDiskSizeInKB [<Int>]: Assign scratch disk in KB.
NewPassword [<String>]: New password for the VA; if this word is not
mentioned, Original password (vzroot1) is used.
UseVAForLFLR [<Boolean>]: Use VA for Linux FLR.
PowerOnVA [<Boolean>]: Power on VA after deployment complete.
VADeployStatus [<Boolean>]: Retrieves VA deployment status if set to true.

Defaults to false if the parameter is not passed in.
UseDHCP [<Boolean>]: Specify use of DHCP to set IP address. If false, StaticIP,

NetMask, Gateway, and PrimaryDNS must be specified.
NetMask [<String>]: Netmask for use with the VAs static IP address. Required if
UseDHCP is false.
StaticIP [<String>]: Static IP Address for the VA. Required if UseStaticIP is true.
GateWay [<String>]: Optional gateway address for VA.
UseStaticDNS [<Boolean>]: Specify use of a static DNS setup. If true, PrimaryDNS

must be specified.
PrimaryDNS [<String>]: Mandatory address of primary DNS server for VA.

Required if UseStaticDNS is true.
SecondaryDNS [<String>]: Optional address of secondary DNS server for VA.
Domain [<String>]: Optional Local domain name for DNS resolver on VA. For more
information, see the Linux manual (man) page for resolv.conf.
Search [<String>]: Optional Search list for host name lookup for DNS on VA. For
more information, see the Linux man page for resolv.conf.


vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
$myhost = Get-InventoryEntities -Type esxhost | where{$_.Name -eq

'dev-pool001.dev.eng.int'}
$ds=Get-Datastore $myhost | where{$_.Name -like 'Local*'}
$nw=Get-Network -Host $myhost Install-VirtualAppliance -VAName kkTestVASTaticIP -SelectedHost $myhost -OVFLocation
'X:\Development\Vzva\vzva-1.8.0.ova' -DownloadOVF 0 -CPUAllocation
1 -MemorySizeInMB 512 -VADatastore $ds -NetworkEntity $nw
-PowerOnVA 1 -VADeployStatus 1 -UseDHCP 0 -staticIP 10.6.51.159
-NetMask 255.255.254.0 -Gateway 10.6.50.2 -UseStaticDNS 1
-PrimaryDNS 10.6.30.10
This command deploys a new VA configuration to vRanger using a locally saved OVF and
retrieves the status of the currently deploying VA in progress. Default for VADeployStatus
is false.
Related links
Mount-LinuxVolume
Description
Mounts a volume from the specified manifest FileMaps.
Syntax
Mount-LinuxVolume [-ManifestFileMaps] <FileMapEntryLine[]>

[-Repository] <Repository> [-RepositoryPassword] <String>
Parameters
ManifestFileMaps <FileMapEntryLine[]>: The savepoint manifest file map.
Repository <Repository>: The repository containing the VAR.
RepositoryPassword <String>: The password to the repository.

Examples
$path = Mount-LinuxVolume -repositorypassword xxxxxxxx

-manifestfilemap [filemap] -repository [repo]
Related links
New-BackupFlag
Description
Creates a new backup flag for later use.
Syntax
New-BackupFlag [[-BackupPoweredOnOnly] <Boolean>]

[[-CheckDestinationFreeSpace] <Boolean>] [[-UseCompression]
<Boolean>] [[-UpdateNotes] <Boolean>] [[-EnableGuestQuiescing]
<Boolean>] [[-EnableABM] <Boolean>]
[[PerformNetworkBackupOnFailure] <Boolean>] [[-UseFiber]
<Boolean>] [[-UseCataloging] <Boolean>] [[-LanFree] <Boolean>]
[[-AllFlags] <Boolean>] [<CommonParameters>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Parameters
Examples
BackupPoweredOnOnly [<Boolean>]: Whether to back up only VMs that are

powered on.
CheckDestinationFreeSpace [<Boolean>]: Whether to check repository free

space before backup.
UseCompression [<Boolean>]: Whether to use compression for backup.
UpdateNotes [<Boolean>]: Whether to update notes on VM after backup.
EnableGuestQuiescing [<Boolean>]: Whether guest quiescing is enabled.
EnableABM [<Boolean>]: Whether ABM is enabled.
PerformNetworkBackupOnFailure [<Boolean>]: [Deprecated] Formerly, whether

to perform the backup using the network if there is a problem during the fiber or
iSCSI backup.
UseFiber [<Boolean>]: [Deprecated] Formerly, whether to use fiber or iSCSI to

perform this backup. Currently, whether to perform a LAN-free backup. Use
LanFree instead.
UseCataloging [<Boolean>]: Whether to use cataloging to perform this backup.
EnableVSSApplicationLevelQuiescing [<Boolean>]: Whether to enable VSS

Application Level Quiescing for this backup.
EnableVSSLogTruncation [<Boolean>]: Whether to enable VSS log truncation for

this backup.
LanFree [<Boolean>]: Whether to perform a LAN-free backup.
AllFlags [<Boolean>]: Whether to use all available flags for the backup.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------New-BackupFlag
This command returns a new BackupFlags object with the value of NoFlags.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------New-BackupFlag -EnableGuestQuiescing 1 -EnableABM 1
This command returns a new BackupFlags object with the values of
EnableGuestQuiescing and EnableABM.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------New-BackupFlag -AllFlags 1
This command returns a new BackupFlags object with all flags set to on.
Related links
Description
Adds members to a backup group created using Add-BackupGroupEntity cmdlet or UI. You
can add any inventory item as a member.
Syntax
New-BackupGroupMember [-BackupGroupId] <GUID> [-MemberEntity]

<Entity> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
BackupGroupId <GUID>: The backup group ID.
MemberEntity <Entity>: Inventory entity to add to backup group.


vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
$inventoryEntity = Get-InventoryEntity -type virtualmachine | where

{$_.Name -eq 'VMNAMEHERE'}
New-BackupGroupMember 8c40f593-6608-45ef-b2c9-a2594aac2338
$inventoryEntity
Related links
None
New-Daily Schedule
Description
Returns a Schedule object. The schedule provides a template daily schedule that can be
further customized before use.
Syntax
New-DailySchedule [-WeekdayOnly] <Boolean> [-StartTime] <String>

Parameters
WeekdayOnly <Boolean>: Whether to run the job only on weekdays.
StartTime <String>: Job start time.

Examples
New-DailySchedule -WeekdayOnly 1 -StartTime "2009-03-31 12:00:00AM"
Related links
None
This command returns a daily job schedule that runs weekdays at midnight.
New-EmailAddress
Description
Adds an email address to the address book.
Syntax
New-EmailAddress [-Name] <String> [-Email] <String>

Parameters
Name <String>: Name of person.
Email <String>: Email address.

Examples
New-EmailAddress -Name Employee1 -Email

firstname.lastname@company.com
Related links
Get-AddressBook
Description
Returns an interval schedule object.
Syntax
New-IntervalSchedule [[-IntervalDays] <Int>] [[-IntervalHours]

[<Int>]][-IntervalMinutes] <Int> [-StartTime] <String>
[[-RangeEndDate] <String>] [[-RangeByOccurrence] <Int>]

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Parameters
Examples
IntervalDays <Int>: Number of days to use for interval schedule the default is 0.
IntervalHours <Int>: Number of hours to use for interval schedule the default is
0.
IntervalMinutes <Int>: Number of minutes to use for interval schedule the

default is 0.
RangeEndDate <String>: Range end date.
RangeByOccurrence <Int>: The maximum number of times a job is run.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------New-IntervalSchedule -StartTime 2009-03-31 -IntervalHours 1

This command returns an interval job schedule that runs every hour.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------New-IntervalSchedule -StartTime 2009-03-31 -IntervalMinutes 30
-RangeEndDate 2010-12-31
This command returns an interval job schedule that runs every 30 minutes until 2010-1231.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------New-IntervalSchedule -StartTime 2009-03-31 -IntervalHours 1 intervalMinutes 30 -RangeByOccurrence10
This command returns an interval job schedule that runs every hour and half; the job is
run 10 times at this interval.
Related links
New-Daily Schedule
New-WeeklySchedule
New-MonthlySchedule
New-YearlySchedule
New-MonthlySchedule
Description
Returns a Schedule object. The schedule provides a template monthly schedule that can
be further customized before use.
Syntax
New-MonthlySchedule [-ExecutionDayOfMonth] <Int> [-StartTime]

<String> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
ExecutionDayOfMonth <Int>: Day of month on which the job runs 1 to 31.

New-MonthlySchedule -ExecutionDayOfMonth 1 -StartTime "2009-03-31

12:00:00AM"
This command returns weekly job schedule that runs on the first of every month at
midnight.
Related links
New-Daily Schedule
New-WeeklySchedule
New-YearlySchedule
vAPI Cmdlet details
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New-ReplicationFlag
Description
Helps you create a ReplicationFlags Enum object. Without parameters, the command
returns NoFlags. You can pass in boolean parameters to specify which flags you want on.
Syntax
New-ReplicationFlag [[-CheckDestinationFreeSpace] [<Boolean>]]

[[-UpdateNotes] [<Boolean>]] [[-EnableGuestQuiescing] [<Boolean>]]
[[-EnableABM] [<Boolean>]] [[-AllFlags] [<Boolean>]]
Parameters
Examples
CheckDestinationFreeSpace [<Boolean>]: Whether to check repository free

space before replication.
UpdateNotes [<Boolean>]: Whether to update notes on VM after replication.
EnableGuestQuiescing [<Boolean>]: Whether guest quiescing is enabled.
EnableABM [<Boolean>]: Whether ABM is enabled.
AllFlags [<Boolean>]: Whether to use all available flags for the replication.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------NewReplicationFlag
This command returns a new ReplicationFlags object with the value of NoFlags.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------New-ReplicationFlag -EnableGuestQuiescing 1 -EnableABM 1
This command returns a new ReplicationFlags object with the values of
EnableGuestQuiescing and EnableABM.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------New-ReplicationFlag -AllFlags 1
This command returns a new ReplicationFlags object with all flags set to on.
Related links
Add-PhysicalMachine
New-RestoreFlag
Description
Helps you create a RestoreFlags Enum object. Without parameters, the command returns
NoFlags. You can pass in boolean parameters to specify which flags you want on.
Syntax
New-RestoreFlag [[-ForceOverwrite] <Boolean>] [[-ForcePowerOn]

<Boolean>] [[-UseFiber] <Boolean>]
[[-PerformNetworkRestoreOnFailure] <Boolean>] [[-LanFree]
<Boolean>] [[-AllFlags] <Boolean>] [<CommonParameters>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Parameters
Examples
ForceOverwrite [<Boolean>]: Whether to force overwrite of existing VM with

same name.
ForcePowerOn [<Boolean>]: Whether to power on the VM for restore.
UseFiber [<Boolean>]: [Deprecated] Formerly, whether to use fiber or iSCSI to

perform this restore. Currently, whether to perform a LAN-free restore. Use
LanFree instead.
PerformNetworkRestoreOnFailure [<Boolean>]: [Deprecated] Formerly,

whether to perform a network restore on a LAN-free restore failure.
LanFree [<Boolean>]: Whether to perform a LAN-free restore.
AllFlags [<Boolean>]: Whether to use all available flags for the restore.
AddHypervVirtualMachineToCluster [<Boolean>]: Whether to add the restored

Hyper-V VM to the cluster.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------New-RestoreFlag
This command runs RestoreFlags with the value of NoFlags.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------New-RestoreFlag -ForcePowerOn 1 -UseCompression 0
This command runs RestoreFlags with the values of ForcePowerOn.
--------------------EXAMPLE 3-------------------New-RestoreFlag -AllFlags 1
This command runs RestoreFlags with all flags set to on.
Related links
None
New-SMTPServer
Description
Adds an SMTP Server.
Syntax
New-SMTPServer [-SMTPServer] <String> [-Port] <Int> [-FromEmail]

Parameters
SMTPServer <String>: SMTP server address.
Port <Int>: Port number for SMTP server.
FromEmail <String>: Email address for sent email messages.

Examples
New-SMTPServer -SMTPServer company.smtp.com -Port 22 -FromEmail

support@company.com
Related links
None

vAPI Cmdlet details
226
New-TransportConfiguration
Description
Helps you create a TransportConfiguration object. Without parameters, the command

returns the default Automatic configuration. You can pass in boolean parameters to
specify which settings you want on.
Syntax
New-TransportConfiguration [-AutoSelectTransport] <Boolean>

[-RunLocal] <Boolean>[-UseAdvancedTransport] <Boolean>
[-UseLanTransport] <Boolean> [[-UseSsLforLan] <Boolean>]
Parameters
Examples
AutoSelectTransport <Boolean>: The service determines which transport type to

use at run-time.
RunLocal <Boolean>: Whether to run the job on the local machine vs the VA.
UseAdvancedTransport <Boolean>: Whether the job should attempt to use an

advanced transport (SAN/HotAdd) first.
UseLanTransport <Boolean>: Whether the job should attempt to use a network

transport.
UseSsLforLan [<Boolean>]: Whether the job should use an encrypted connection

when attempting a network transport.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------New-BackupFlag -RunLocal 1 -UseAdvancedTransport 1 UseLANTransport

0
This command returns a new transport configuration object with the values of RunLocal,
UseAdvancedTransport.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------New-TransportConfiguration
This command returns a new transport configuration object with the configuration set to
Automatic.
Related links
Description
Configures a VA for vRanger.
Syntax
New-VirtualAppliance [-VAEntity] <Entity> [-RootPassword] <String>

[[-IPAddressOverride] <String>] [[-ClusterDefault] <Boolean>]
Parameters
VAEntity <Entity>: The VM Entity where the VA is deployed.
RootPassword <String>: Root Password for the VA.
IPAddressOverride <String>: New IP Address for the VA
ClusterDefault [<Boolean>]: Share the VA among all hosts in the cluster.


vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
$va = Get-InventoryEntities -Type VirtualMachine | where {$_.Name

-eq 'ABC-Vzva-1.1.1'}
New-VirtualAppliance -VAEntity $va -IPAddressOverride 10.6.50.19
-RootPassword vzroot1
This command adds a VA configuration to vRanger.
Related links
New-WeeklySchedule
Description
Returns a Schedule object. The schedule provides a template weekly schedule that can
be further customized before use.
Syntax
New-WeeklySchedule [-ExecutionDays] <String> [-StartTime] <String>

Parameters
Examples
ExecutionDays <String>: Days of the week on which the job runs: Monday,
Tuesday, and so on. Separate multiple days with commas.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------NewWeeklySchedule -ExecutionDays "Monday" -StartTime "2009-03-31

12:00:00AM"
This command returns weekly job schedule that runs on Mondays at midnight.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------NewWeeklySchedule -ExecutionDays "Monday,Tuesday" -StartTime "200903-31 12:00:00AM"
This command returns weekly job schedule that runs on Mondays and Tuesdays at
midnight.
Related links
None
New-YearlySchedule
Description
Returns a Schedule object. The schedule provides a template yearly schedule that can be
further customized before use.
Syntax
NewYearlySchedule [-ExecutionMonth] <Int> [-ExecutionDayOfMonth]

<Int> [-StartTime] <String> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
ExecutionMonth <Int>: Month in which the job runs 1 to 12.
ExecutionDayOfMonth <Int>: Day of month on which the job runs 1 to 31.


vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
NewYearlySchedule -ExecutionMonth 1 -ExecutionDayOfMonth 1

-StartTime "2009-03-31 12:00:00AM"
This command returns weekly job schedule that runs on the January 1 each year at
midnight.
Related links
None
Remove-AllMount
Description
Removes all previously mounted paths. This operation should be performed as a cleanup
step after all needed content is retrieved from the mounted path.
Syntax
Remove-Allmount [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters

Examples
Remove-AllMount
This command removes all mounted paths.
Related links
None
Description
Deletes a backup group from vRanger. Remove-BackupGroupMember cmdlet is used to

remove members from a backup Group created using this cmdlet or UI.
Syntax
Remove-BackupGroupEntity [-BackupGroupId] <GUID>

Parameters
BackupGroupId <GUID>: The BackupGroup ID.

Examples
$bg = Get-BackupGroupEntity | where {$_.Name -eq 'BG1'}

Remove-BackupGroupEntity -BackupGroupId $bg.Id
Related links
None
Description
Removes members from a backup group.
Syntax
Remove-BackupGroupMember [-BackupGroupId] <GUID> [-MemberEntity]

<Entity> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
BackupGroupId <GUID>: The BackupGroup ID.
MemberEntity <Entity>: Inventory entity to remove from backup group.


vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
$vm = Get-InventoryEntities | where {$_.Name -eq 'myVM'}

Remove-BackupGroupMember -BackupGroupId 5a62765e-6a04-4df4-af54
-46e5a38ad876 -MemberEntity $vm
Related links
None
Remove-Catalog
Description
Deletes the catalog data from the database for a list of savepoints.
Syntax
Remove-Catalog [-Savepoints] <GUID[]> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
Savepoints <GUID[]>: List of savepoint IDs.

Remove-Catalog -Savepoints 5a62765e-6a04-4df4-af54-46e5a38ad876

Removes the catalog data associated with the savepoint from the database.
Related links
Get-CatalogStatus
Set-Cataloging
Remove-DdbStorageUnit
Description
Removes the EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) repository from vRanger and deletes
all savepoints in the repository from the disk. The storage unit is also removed from the
DD Boost device.
Syntax
Remove-DdbStorageUnit [-Repository] <Repository> [-Password]

Parameters
Examples
Repository <Repository>: The DD Boost repository entity to remove.
Password <String>: Password for DD Boost user.

Remove-DdbStorageUnit -Repository $repo -Password Password123

This command removes the repository from vRanger and deletes all associated savepoints
from the disk. The storage unit is also removed from the DD Boost device.
Related links
Remove-Repository
Remove-JobTemplate
Description
Removes a job template from vRanger.
Syntax
Remove-JobTemplate [-Id] <String> [<CommonParameters>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Parameters
Examples
ID <String>: The job template ID in GUID.

Remove-JobTemplate -Id $guid

This command removes the job template with the specified ID from vRanger.
Related links
Get-JobTemplate
Remove-LinuxVolume
Description
This command is obsolete and has been replaced with Dismount-LinuxVolume.
Related links
Remove-Repository
Description
Removes a repository from vRanger. Optionally, all savepoints in the repository can be
deleted from the disk.
Syntax
Remove-Repository [-Id] <String> [[-RemoveSavePoints] [<Boolean>]]

Parameters
Examples
ID <String>: The repository ID in GUID.
RemoveSavePoints [<Boolean>]: Whether to remove all savepoints in the

repositories. 0 or 1.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Remove-Repository -Id $guid

This command removes the repository with the specified ID from vRanger. All savepoints
associated with the repository remain un-touched.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------Remove-Repository -Id $guid -RemoveSavePoints 1
This command removes the repository with the specified ID from vRanger. All savepoint
files in the repository are removed from disk as well.
Related links
Add-CIFSRepository
Add-SFTPRepository
Add-FTPRepository
Add-HypervCluster
Add-NVSDRepository

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Remove-SavePoint
Description
Removes savepoints. If any of the specified savepoints has descendant savepoints, those
savepoints are also removed.
Syntax
Remove-SavePoint [-SavePointsToRemove] <SavePointList>

Parameters
Examples
SavePointsToRemove <SavePointList>: The list of savepoints to remove.

Remove-SavePoint -SavePointsToRemove $splist

This command removes the list of savepoints specified.
Related links
Remove-Repository
Description
Removes the VA configuration from vRanger.
Syntax
Remove-VirtualAppliance [-VAId] <String> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
VAId <String>: The VA ID for the VA.

$va = Get-VirtualApplianceConfig -VAName KRN-Vzva-1.1.1

Remove-VirtualAppliance -VAId $va.VirtualApplianceID
This command removed a VA configuration.
Related links
Description
Removes the VA configuration from vRanger with an option to delete the VA from host.
Syntax
Remove-VirtualApplianceConfiguration [-VAId] <String> [[-DeleteVM]

<Boolean>] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
VAId <String>: VA entity.
DeleteVM [<Boolean>]: Delete VA from host.


vAPI Cmdlet details
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Examples
$va = Get-VirtualApplianceConfig -VAName KRN-Vzva-1.1.1

Remove-VirtualAppliance -VAId $va.VirtualApplianceID -DeleteVM 1
This command removes a VA configuration from vRanger and also deletes the VM from
Host.
Related links
Run-JobsNow
Description
Runs jobs specified by their template IDs. Use the Get-JobTemplate cmdlet to view the
template IDs of configured job templates.
Syntax
Run-JobsNow [-TemplateIds] <String> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
TemplateIds <String>: The job template IDs. Separate multiple IDs with commas.

Run-JobsNow d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4-a0c2-2412999735f3,d7ebc5c4-791644c4-a0c2-2412990005f3
This command runs jobs specified by their templates.
Related links
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate
Description
Fails over the replication pass to the replica.
Syntax
Run-ReplicationFailover [-TemplateId] <String> [[-Sync] [<String>]]

Parameters
Examples
TemplateId <String>: Replication job template ID.
Sync [<Boolean>]: Whether to sync replica before failing over.

Run-ReplicationFailover -TemplateID d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4-a0c22412999735f3,d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4-a0c2-2412990005f3

This command runs replication failover based on the job template ID.
Related links

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Description
Resumes test replication failover based on the test replication task ID.
Syntax
Run-ResumeReplicationFailover [-TaskId] <String>

Parameters
TaskID <String>: Replication test failover task ID.

Examples
Run-ResumeReplicationFailover -TaskID d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4-a0c22412999735f3,d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4-a0c2-2412990005f3
Related links
Description
Runs test replication failover based on the replication jobs template version ID.
Syntax
Run-TestReplicationFailover [-TemplateVersionId] <GUID>

[[-EnableNetwork] <Boolean>] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
TemplateVersionID <String>: Replication job template version ID.
EnableNetwork [<Boolean>]: Let replica network be enabled during a test

failover.

Run-TestReplicationFailover -TemplateVersionId d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4a0c2-2412999735f3,d7ebc5c4-7916-44c4-a0c2-2412990005f3

This command runs test failover on a replication job.
Related links
Set-Cataloging
Description
Enables or disables global cataloging flag.
Syntax
Set-Cataloging [-Catalog] <Boolean> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Catalog <Boolean>: Boolean value to enable or disable global cataloging.

Examples
Set-Cataloging -Catalog 1
Related links
Remove-Catalog

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Set-CBTonVM
Description
Enables or disables CBT for VMs if it is supported.
Syntax
Set-CBTonVM [-VM] <VMEntity> [-CBT] [<Boolean>]

Parameters
Examples
VM <VMEntity>: VM for which to enable CBT.
CBT [<Boolean>]: Enable or disable CBT.

$vm = Get-InventoryEntities -type virtualmachine | where{$_.Name

-eq 'xyz'}
Set-CBTonVM -VM $vm -CBT 1
This command enables CBT on the VM xyz if it is supported on the VMware ESXi host.
Related links
None
Set-LinuxVolume
Description
This command is obsolete and has been replaced with Mount-LinuxVolume.
Related links
Mount-LinuxVolume
Set-MountPath
Description
Sets mount path for a volume. After this operation, the specified volume is mounted to
the path specified.
Syntax
Set-MountPath [-Volume] <Volume> [-Path] <String>

Parameters
Examples
Volume <Volume>: The volume to mount.
Path <String>: The path to which the volume should be mounted to.

Set-MountPath -volume $v -path 'E:\'

This command mounts the specified volume in the savepoint to the E:\ drive.
Related links
Get-RestoreDiskMap
Get-VMDKVolume
Remove-AllMount

vAPI Cmdlet details
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Set-Resources
Description
Sets values for vRanger resources.
Syntax
Set-Resources [[-NumberTasksVRanger] <Int>] [[-NumberTasksLUN]

<Int>] [[-NumberTasksHost] <Int>] [[-NumberTasksRepository] <Int>]
[[-NumberTasksLocal] <Int>] [[-Timeout] <Int>] [[-MinimumSpaceHost]
<Int>] [[-NumberTasksVA] <Int>] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
NumberTasksVRanger [<Int>]: Maximum number of tasks running on vRanger

(>=1).
NumberTasksLUN [<Int>]: Maximum number of tasks running off a LUN 1 to 5.
NumberTasksHost [<Int>]: Maximum number of tasks running on a host 1 to 4.
NumberTasksRepository [<Int>]: Maximum number of tasks running per

Repository >=1.
NumberTasksLocal [<Int>]: Maximum number of tasks running locally 1 to 20.
Timeout [<Int>]: Task Timeout in hours 1 to 999.
MinimumSpaceHost [<Int>]: Minimum space needed on host (GBs).
NumberTasksVA [<Int>]: Maximum number of tasks running on a VA 1 to 8.

Set-Resources -NumberTasksVRanger 10 -Timeout 2

Sets the maximum tasks run on vRanger and the Timeout for each task.
Related links
Get-ConfigOption
Stop-vRangerJob
Description
Cancels a running job.
Syntax
Stop-vRangerJob [-JobID] <String> [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
Examples
JobID <String>: Job ID for which to cancel job.

--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------Stop-vRangerJob -JobId 'F9C9E458-8E06-498D-8C2C-03CBE5515FD4'

This command cancels the job if it is running and returns the success or failure message.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------$jobs = Get-Job | where {$_.JobState -eq 'Running'}
Stop-vRangerJob $jobs[0].Id
This command cancels the first running job in the list and returns the success or failure
message.
Related links
Get-Job

vAPI Cmdlet details
236
Description
Updates a backup job template. You also have the option of running the job immediately
after the template is updated.
Syntax
Update-BackupJobTemplate [-JobTemplate] <BackupJobTemplate>

[[-JobName] <String>] [[-JobDescription] <String>]
[[-ExcludedVMList] <String>] [[-IncludedDiskList] <String>]
[[-TargetRepository] <Repository>] [[-JobSchedule] <Schedule>]
[[-Flags] <NoFlags | BackupPoweredOnOnly |
CheckDestinationFreeSpace | UseCompression | UpdateNotes |
EnableGuestQuiescing | EnableABM | UseFiber |
PerformNetworkBackupOnFailure | UseCataloging | AllFlags>]
[[-NumberOfSavePoints] <Int>] [[-SpaceSavingTechnologyTypeFlag]
<None | Incremental | Differential>] [[-SpaceSavingCountThreshold]
<Int>] [[-SpaceSavingPercentSizeThreshold] <Int>]
[[-NotificationList] <String>] [[-RunJobNow] <Boolean>]
[[-TransportConfiguration] <TransportConfiguration>]
Parameters
Examples
JobTemplate <BackupJobTemplate>: Existing job template.
JobName [<String>]: Job name.
ExcludedVMList [<String>]: List of VMs to exclude from this job.
IncludedDiskList [<String>]: List of virtual disks to include in this job.
TargetRepository [<Repository>]: Repository where the backups are to be

stored.
JobSchedule [<Schedule>]: Schedule on which the job runs.
Flags [<Nullable`1>]: Backup flags.
NumberOfSavePoints [<String>]: Max number of savepoints to store before older

ones are removed.
SpaceSavingTechnologyTypeFlag [<String>]: Space saving technology to use:

differential, incremental, or none.
SpaceSavingCountThreshold [<String>]: The number to save before performing

a full backup.
SpaceSavingPercentSizeThreshold [<String>]: The size to allow as a % of the VM

hard disk file before performing a differential backup.
NotificationList [<String>]: Email notification list for the job.
RunJobNow [<Boolean>]: Whether to run the job now.

FullBackupSchedule [<List~1>]: The days to perform a full backup.

type: "get-help about_commonparameters".
get-jobtemplate backup |where{$_.jobname -eq 'my first backup

job'}|
Update-BackupJobTemplate -JobName 'modified by vapi'
This command adds a backup job template. Because the RunJobNow flag is not specified,
the job is not going to run immediately.
Related links
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate

vAPI Cmdlet details
237
Description
Updates the default Transport Failover order for replication jobs.
Syntax
Update-GlobalTransportFailover [-TransportFailover] <String>

Parameters
TransportFailover <String>: Transport Failover order separated by commas to be

attempted until the task is successful. Valid types are VA-HotAdd and VA-Network.

Examples
Update-GlobalTransportFailover -TransportFailover VA-Network
Related links
This command updates the default Transport Failover order for replication jobs.
Update-HypervRestoreJobTemplate
Description
Updates a restore job template. You also have the option of running the job immediately
Syntax
Update-HypervRestoreJobTemplate [-JobTemplate]
<RestoreJobTemplate> [-JobName] <String> [[-JobDescription]
<String>] [-SavePoint] <Savepoint> [[-JobSchedule] <Schedule>]
[[-Flags] <NoFlags | ForceOverwrite | ForcePowerOn | UseFiber |
PerformNetworkRestoreOnFailure | AddHypervVirtualMachineToCluster
| AllFlags>] [[-NotificationList] <List`1>] [[-RunJobNow]
<Boolean>] [[-VMName] <String>] [[-TargetHost] <String>]
[[-VmLocation] <String>] [[-SkipDisks] <List`1>] [[-DiskLocations]
<List`1>] [[-TargetNetworks] <List`1>] [[-SkipAdapters] <List`1>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
238
Parameters
Examples
JobTemplate <RestoreJobTemplate>: Restore job template to update.
runs on demand.
Flags [<Nullable`1>]: Restore flags. If not set, the job has no flags.
NotificationList [<List`1>]: Separate multiple email addresses with commas.
RunJobNow [<Nullable`1>]: Whether to run the job now. If not set, the job does
savepoint is used.

host.
VmLocation [<String>]: Location on target host where the restored VM is

located. If not set, the default for the host is used.
SkipDisks [<List`1>]: Sequence number base 0 of the disks to skip from the
savepoint. Separate multiple numbers with commas.
DiskLocations [<List`1>]: Disk locations to use on the target host. Separate

VM If not set, the default disk location for the host is used for all disks.
TargetNetworks [<List`1>]: Networks to use on the target host. Separate

to the original VM.
SkipAdapters [<List`1>]: Sequence number base 0 of the adapters to skip in



savepoint. The job runs on-demand.
$mysp = ($sp)[0]
-targetnetworks $targetnw.name
It also specifies disk location, vm location, and the network to use on the target host.

vAPI Cmdlet details
239
Examples
(continued)

$mysp = ($sp)[0]
$skipdisks = '0'
-targetnetworks $targetnw.name -SkipDisks $skipdisks
$mysp = ($sp)[0]
$skipnetworks = '0'
-targetnetworks $targetnw.name -Skipadapters $skipnetworks
The first adapter of the VM in the savepoint is skipped by the restore job.
Related links
Add-RdaRepository
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate
Update-Inventory
Description
Refreshes the inventory.
Syntax
Update-Inventory [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters

Examples
Update-Inventory
This command refreshes the inventory.
Related links
None

vAPI Cmdlet details
240
Description
Updates a replication job template. You also have the option of running the job
immediately after the template is updated.
Syntax
Update-ReplicationJobTemplate [-JobTemplate]
<ReplicationJobTemplate> [[-JobName] <String>] [[-JobDescription]
<String>] [[-TargetHost] <HostEntity>][[-ReplicateName] <String>]
[[-Type] <String>] [[-TargetNetworks] <String>]
[[-PrimaryDatastore] <String>] [[-TargetDatastores] <String>]
[[-JobSchedule] <Schedule>] [[-TransportFailover] <String>]
[[-NotificationList] <String>] [[-Flags] <NoFlags |
ReplicatePoweredOnOnly | CheckDestinationFreeSpace | UseCompression
| UpdateNotes | EnableGuestQuiescing | EnableABM | AllFlags>]
[[-RunJobNow] <Boolean>] [[-IncludedDisk] <String>]
Parameters
Examples
JobTemplate <ReplicationJobTemplate>: Replication job template to update.
TargetHost [<HostEntity>]: Target Host entity to which the VM is replicated.
ReplicateName [<String>]: Name of replicated VM.
Type [<String>]: Replication type. Valid types are Differential and Hybrid.
TargetNetworks <String>: Networks to use on the target host. Separate multiple

values with commas.
PrimaryDatastore [<String>]: Primary Datastore on target host on which the

replicated VM is located.

JobSchedule [<Schedule>]: The recurrence schedule on which the job runs.
TransportFailover [<String>]: Transport Failover order separated by commas to

be attempted until the task is successful. Valid types are VA-HotAdd and VANetwork.
Flags [<ReplicationFlags>]: Replication flags: NoFlags, ReplicatePoweredOnOnly,

CheckDestinationFreeSpace, UseCompression, UpdateNotes,
EnableGuestQuiescing, AllFlags. Separate multiple flags with pipes (|).
IncludedDisk [<Int>]: List of disks to include in this job. All VM disks are
replicated if none is specified.
RunJobNow [<Boolean>]: Whether to run the job immediately after the job

get-jobtemplate replication|where{$_.jobname -eq 'my first

replication job'}|Update-ReplicationJobTemplate -JobName 'new name'
This command updates a replication job template with a new name.
Related links
Add-PhysicalMachine
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate

vAPI Cmdlet details
241
Description
Updates a restore job template. You also have the option of running the job immediately
Syntax
Update-RestoreJobTemplate [-JobTemplate] <RestoreJobTemplate>

[[-JobName] <String>] [[-JobDescription] <String>] [[-SavePoint]
<Savepoint>] [[-JobSchedule] <Schedule>] [[-Flags] <NoFlags |
ForceOverwrite | ForcePowerOn | UseFiber |
PerformNetworkRestoreOnFailure | AllFlags>] [[-NotificationList]
<String>] [[-RunJobNow] <Boolean>] [[-VMName] <String>]
[[-TargetHost] <String>] [[-PrimaryDatastore] <String>]
[[-SkipDisks] <String>] [[-TargetDatastores] <String>]
[[-TargetNetworks] <String>] [[-SkipAdapters] <String>]
[[-TransportConfiguration] <TransportConfiguration>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
242
Parameters
JobTemplate <String>: The restore job template to update.
SavePoint [<Savepoint>]: Savepoint to restore. This parameter is not required if

the restore job template contains only one savepoint.
savepoint is used.
runs on demand.
Flags [<RestoreFlags>]: Restore flags. If not set, NoFlag. Restore flags: NoFlags,
AllFlags, ForceOverwrite, ForcePowerOn. Separate multiple flags with pipes (|).
savepoint is used.

host.

the target host.

VM. If not set, the original datastores are used when restoring to the original VM;
otherwise the application randomly selects a datastore attached to the target
host.

to the target host.




vAPI Cmdlet details
243
Examples
--------------------EXAMPLE 1-------------------$temp = get-jobtemplate restore |where{$_.jobname -eq 'my restore

job'}
update-restorejobtemplate -jobtemplate $temp -jobname vapirestore
This command updates a restore job template name.
--------------------EXAMPLE 2-------------------$savepoint = get-repository |where{$_.name -eq 'local'}|getrepositorysavepoint |where{$_.VMUUID -eq '12312312312313'}
get-jobtemplate restore |where{$_.jobname -eq 'my restore
job'}|update-restorejobtemplate -savepoint $savepoint
This command updates a restore job template to restore a different savepoint.
Related links
Add-PhysicalMachine
Get-Job
Get-JobTemplate
Description
This command is obsolete. Use Update-VirtualApplianceConfiguration instead.
Related links
Update-VirtualApplianceConfiguration
Description
Updates the VA configuration from vRanger.
Syntax
Update-VirtualApplianceConfiguration [-VirtualApplianceEntity]
<VirtualApplianceConfig> [-IPAddressOverride] <String>]
[[-ClusterDefault] <Boolean>][[-CPUAllocation] <Int>]
[[-MemorySizeInMB] <Int>] [[-ScratchDiskDatastore] <Datastore>]
[[-ScratchDiskSizeInKB] <Int>] [-NewPassword]
<String>][[-UseVAForLFLR] <Boolean>] [[-DeleteScratchDisk]
<Boolean>] [[-VAReconfigurationStatus] <Boolean>]

vAPI Cmdlet details
244
Parameters
Examples
VirtualApplianceEntity <VirtualApplianceConfig>: The VM Entity to reconfigure.
IPAddressOverride [<String>]: IP Address to use for the VA instead of the one

retrieved from the VMware vCenter API.
ClusterDefault [<Boolean>]: If the selected host belongs to a cluster, share the

VA among all hosts in the cluster.
CPUAllocation [<Int>]: Allocate CPU.
MemorySizeInMB [<Int>]: Assign memory in MB.
ScratchDiskDatastore [<Datastore>]: Select a datastore for the scratch disk.
ScratchDiskSizeInKB [<Int>]: Assign scratch disk in KB.
NewPassword [<String>]: New password for the VA, if this word is not specified,
the password remains unchanged.
UseVAForLFLR [<Boolean>]: Use VA for Linux FLR.
DeleteScratchDisk [<Boolean>]: If set to true, deletes the scratch disk the

default is false.
VAReconfigurationStatus [<Boolean>]: Retrieves VA deployment status if set to

true. If the parameter is not passed in, the default is false.

$va = Get-VirtualApplianceConfig -VAName KRN-Vzva-1.1.1 UpdateVirtualApplianceConfiguration -VirtualApplianceEntity $va

-CPUAllocation 2 -VAReconfigurationStatus 1
This command updates the VA configuration and sets CPUAllocation to 2. Setting
VAConfigurationStatus to true retrieves the status of the VA reconfiguration in progress.
Default is false.
Related links

vAPI Cmdlet details
245
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Dell vRanger 7.3 Users Guide

Configuring an SMTP server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

VMware backup transport options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

Performing a full restore of a physical machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Replicate VMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

Integrating vRanger: overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Dell vRanger 7.3 Users Guide

Dell vRanger: at a glance

Major feature list

Recommended additional reading

Dell vRanger: at a glance

Protect entire VMware and Hyper-V environments in minutes.

Replicate key VMs for offsite disaster recovery preparedness.

Exploits VMware vSphere performance and scalability enhancements.

Dell vRanger 7.3 Users Guide

Operates as an easy-to-deploy, low-resource consumption virtual appliance (VA) for low-impact

Improves VM backup and recovery performance with HotAdd support.

Includes a catalog for fast file searching and file-level restore.

Provides protection for the largest VM deployments.

Offers agent-less, maintenance-free deployment.

Delivers proven reliability.

Provides unmatched performance and scalability.

Comes with world-class service and support.

Major feature list

Microsoft Hyper-V support: Supports the latest Hyper-V versions.

Dell vRanger 7.3 Users Guide

Dell vRanger 7.3 Users Guide

Recommended additional reading

Dell vRanger 7.3 Users Guide

Downloading an evaluation copy of vRanger

Virtual appliance (VA) deployment

Dell vRanger 7.3 Users Guide

Downloading an evaluation copy of vRanger

To download an evaluation copy of vRanger:

From an internet-connected PC, access http://software.dell.com/products/vranger/.

Click Download Free Trial.

Register or log in as appropriate.

Accept the License Agreement, and click Submit.

Select vRanger, and save the file to the desired location.

Start the installer, and accept the vRanger license.

Choose an installation directory.

Select the vRanger database.

For more information, see the Dell vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.

Adding inventory for protection

Deploying virtual appliances (VAs)

Adding physical servers to inventory

Scheduling a backup job

Scheduling a replication job

Dell vRanger 7.3 Users Guide

Adding inventory for protection

One or more VMware vCenter Servers.

One or more Hyper-V clusters.

One or more VMware vCloud Director servers.

One or more physical servers.

Deploying virtual appliances (VAs)

Adding physical servers to inventory

Scheduling a backup job

To schedule a backup job:

Select an object to back up.

To start the Backup Wizard, do one of the following:

Dell vRanger 7.3 Users Guide

Select the disks to include or skip.